The Runaways
by svenjen
Summary: What happens when her initial dedication isn't met with "Well that's too bad!" ? Blair accompanies Chuck as he flees the pain of his father's death.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **

This story takes place in Season 2, Episode 13 ("Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?"). In my version, Chuck's response to Blair's 3 word dedication is a little different and propagates an entirely new outcome for the story. For now it is rated T but this may change as it evolves.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gossip Girl, the characters or anything but the thoughts in my head…..This story is purely for entertainment purposes.

**XOXO**

**Chapter 1.**

Blair ran to the curb just as Chuck was about to get in the limo.

"Chuck," she called. "Wait! Whatever you're going through, I want to be there for you."

"We've talked about this," he reminded her sarcastically. "You are NOT my girlfriend."

Blair reached out and touched his hand. "But I am me. And you are you. We're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck," she reminded him. "The worst thing you've ever done, the darkest thought you've ever had, I will stand by you through anything."

"And why would you do that?" Chuck asked as he began to open the door of the limo.

Blair looked at him and knew what she needed to say next would change everything. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her dry throat. "Because I, …. I love you."

Tears glazed over his eyes. He swallowed hard trying to keep them at bay. He turned his back on her and opened the limo door a little bit further. He hesitated for a moment and then out a large sigh.

"Get in," he said as he slid across the buttery seats.

She hurriedly climbed in after him, looking straight ahead and not saying a word, least he change his mind and kick her out. She sat patiently and finally looked down at her small hands, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. She was, after all, supposed to be at her mother's wedding service later that evening.

Chuck looked at the passing streets as he stared out the window. He felt numb. He didn't want to think about anything right now except getting away. For a while he forgot she was with him. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and let the tears start to fall as renewed pain washed over him again in waves.

She slid beside him and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently, and then raised it to her lips to brush it softly with a kiss.

"I should get you home," he told her after wiping the tears out of his eyes. He tapped on the glass and told Arthur to head for the Waldorf penthouse.

"I don't want to leave you, Chuck" she told him, grasping his hand tighter in hers.

"Blair….," he began.

"No, Chuck please," she begged. "I want to stay with you."

He sighed and shook his head. "Your mother is getting married in less than an hour, Blair. You need to be with your family," he reminded her.

"I don't care. I don't want to leave you alone." She replied in a voice hardly bigger than a whisper.

"I'm fine," he insisted, and then corrected, "I'll be fine. You need to be there for your mother."

"I'll only go if you come with me," she bribed as she turned and looked him in the eye. "Otherwise, I'll stay here with you."

"You can see me later," he insisted.

"No Chuck. I am not leaving you alone right now. You can wait for me in my room if you want, but I'm not letting you alone."

"You don't trust me," he stated.

"Not when you're like this, I don't."

He sighed again knowing that she had won. "Fine, he said, but I'll stay in your room. I can't face anyone else right now."

"Thank-you," she told him and raised his hand again to kiss it. "I won't be long. It's only going to be a short ceremony before they leave for Europe."

Once Arthur dropped them off, the two made their way up to the penthouse. Blair took Chuck up to her room through the back stairwell behind the maid's quarters. Dorota nodded her head in approval as her young mistress passed on their way up.

Chuck curled up on her bed as he watched Blair prepare for the ceremony. She quickly peeled off her outfit and ducked into her bathroom to quickly wash off the afternoon before dressing. Clad only in bra and panties, she passed him on her way to her dresser to retrieve a slip before putting on her dress. She sat next to him on the bed and pulled on her stockings, noticing the blank stare in his eyes as she dressed. She would have given anything at that moment just to hear a smarmy comment from him. But he remained silent.

She scooted over by his head and gently stroked his hair away from his forehead. Gently, she leaned in and kissed his brow. Finally she got up, added some touches to her makeup, and brushed out her hair before heading downstairs.

In less than an hour she kissed her mother and Cyrus goodbye and headed upstairs again. She prayed that he would still be there and hadn't snuck out on her. When she entered her room she saw he was still in the same position she had left him in on her bed. She sighed with relief. He was fast asleep. She noticed the pillow under his head was damp from his tears.

She slipped off her dress and slid into the bed beside him, covering them both with a blanket. She cozied up next to him and put her arm around his waist. Chuck sighed in his sleep and backed into the curve of her body. His hand reached up and held the one across his belly. Soon Blair drifted off too.

She awoke hearing a rustling sound beside the bed. Sitting up, she noticed him putting on his shoes. He was going to leave.

"Where are you going, Chuck?" she asked in alarm.

"It's ok. Just go back to sleep, Blair," he told her.

Blair bolted out of bed and pushed the door shut as he was opening it. "No, Chuck. You're not leaving without me!" she informed him.

He backed up and sat on the bed, shaking his head. "I need to leave, Blair," he told her. He crumbled the note paper in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket.

"What was that?" she asked. She quickly approached him and put her hand into the pocket retrieving the note.

"You were going to leave me!" she yelled at him "Where are you going, Chuck?" she asked.

"I… I'm not sure. I just know I have to get out of this city tonight."

"Then I'm coming with you," she informed him. She opened her closet door and retrieved her suitcase from the back corner. She hurriedly began to fill it with clothes from her dresser and closet.

He shook his head in disbelief. "You can't come with me, Blair," he informed her. "I don't know where I'm going or how long I'll be gone for. Besides," he sighed, "you really do deserve better than this."

She looked at him in disbelief and shook her head as tears started to pool in her eyes. "Don't do this to me Chuck," she pleaded. "I love you and I know you're hurting right now. I don't care where you're going; I'm not going to leave you alone right now." She looked at him as big fat tears began to slip down her cheeks. "I couldn't bear the thought of you alone out there. So please, don't do this to me."

He shook his head once more and gritted his teeth. He would probably resent it later, but he couldn't bear to see Blair crying over him again. "Grab your passport."

**XOXO**

**A/N:** Please review…. It insures me there is enough interest to continue the story and motivates me to write more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The plane landed in Barcelona just after midnight, European time. A limo was on hand to take them to their hotel in the city's center.

Chuck had barely spoken the entire flight. He stared out the window at the clouds below and sipped scotch most of the trip. Blair had respected his need for peace and let him have his space. He had finally fallen back to sleep a few hours into the flight, but Blair hadn't been able to sleep at all. For the next several hours she listened to her ipod, read magazines and picked at the meals they were served.

When they finally made it to the hotel she was exhausted. The suite was well decked out, being part of the Bass chain and all, but it was small. There was only one bed in it, a couch and a small bar that appeared to be well stocked. Chuck made his way to the bar and sifted through several bottles until he found what he wanted.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked her as he poured himself a scotch.

"No thank-you," she replied, as she watched him take a large swig of the amber liquid. "I really just want a bath and to go to bed right now." She pulled a set of baby dolls and her toiletries bag out of the case and headed into the bathroom.

He swallowed the remainder of his scotch and placed the glass down on a coffee table. "I think I'll go down to the bar for a while then," he told her.

"Then I'll come too…," she began. She put her stuff down and came back over towards him.

"Blair, have your bath. I'll be fine. I promise," he told her. "I'll only stay there for a little while."

"You sure?" she asked. She was so tired she didn't think she could last much longer.

"I'll be fine," he growled and he headed out the door leaving her in the suite alone.

A few hours later Chuck stumbled back into the suite. Fortunately, Blair was so beat she didn't hear his noisy entrance. He was inebriated. He stopped and stared at Blair as she lay sleeping in the large bed. Even this drunk, he could appreciate her beauty. Her chestnut curls lay draped across the pillows, her tiny hand resting across them. Her lovely face was turned toward him, thick lashes lay closed against her cheek. Her ruby mouth was slightly parted in sleep. He noticed the gentle rise and fall of the blankets as she breathed. He was mesmerized.

He quickly shed his clothes and climbed into bed with her, turning on his side so as to face her in her sleep. He felt an all too familiar lump in his throat as he gazed at her with teary eyes.

He wondered why she was with him. He had simply wanted to be alone to self destruct, to wallow away in self pity until he no longer felt any pain. But those three little words had grabbed hold of his heart and were preventing him from slipping too far under.

She had said she loved him. Finally! He had won. Or had he? She was probably just feeling sorry for him, he thought. Who could love him anyways? Even his own father had hated his very sight. His father, who now lay dead and buried six feet under the cold Manhattan earth, miles away from where he was tonight.

He looked at her again. He had wanted her desperately and for so long. Even if she didn't really love him, at least she cared enough to stay with him. He appreciated that. She was the only one who even gave a shit whether or not he existed. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "Thanks, Waldorf," he whispered to her.

"You ok, Chuck?" she mumbled, still mostly asleep. She slid her body closer to him and tucked her head under his chin, her head resting next to his heart.

"It's ok, Blair," he whispered back. "Go back to sleep."

"Ok," she muttered as she drifted off once more.

He placed him arm over her protectively and leaned forward to kiss her head. "'Night, Waldorf," he whispered. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

**XOXO**

He was still dead to the world when she woke later the next morning. She climbed out of bed and set about grooming herself for the day. She had no idea what the plan was, but she was just happy to be close to Chuck. She called for room service.

When it arrived, she pulled back the heavy drapes of the suite and delighted as sunshine flooded the room. This was so much better than the winter grey of the Manhattan skies. She grabbed a croissant and bit off a warm flakey strip of it.

"God Blair! Are you trying to kill me or something?" he whined as he covered the blinding light that was searing his eyeballs with both hands.

"Sorry, Chuck, but it's a beautiful day and it's time you woke up to appreciate it," she replied lightly.

"I didn't come here to appreciate anything. This isn't a holiday for me, you know?" he growled. "I came here to forget."

"Oh," Blair replied, feeling a little more than dejected. "I'm sorry. Of course you didn't come here for a holiday, Chuck. I didn't mean it like that."

"Just leave me alone," he grumbled, pulling the blankets over his head.

Blair walked over to the window and closed the drapes. She grabbed her purse off of the bar, tossed the remainder of the croissant on the serving cart, and headed out the door.

Angry tears were starting to brim her eyes as she left. She wiped them away, not wanting her anger to get the best of her. He's hung-over she thought, and that itself, always makes him grumpy. She planned on exploring their surroundings and enjoying the sunshine despite his mood. She'd go back later when he had woken up and felt a bit better.

She began to explore the neighbourhood, a little area she was informed was called La Ribera. She was delighted to soon find herself in a busy little market. It was quite trendy and was flooded in little boutiques, bars and little restaurants. She finally sat down at an outdoor café and ordered herself some coffee and a fruit plate. She was pleased her broken Spanish was understood far better than she could have hoped for.

She took out her cell phone and texted a message to Serena to let her know she was with Chuck and was unsure when they were coming home. Serena responded a minute later asking if he was alright and where they were. Blair let her know he was going to be ok and they were in Barcelona. Serena's next response upset her a bit. She had commented that running away wasn't going to solve anything. Look at the pot calling the kettle black, she thought. Blair was a bit pissed over this, but informed her friend she would keep her posted.

After her breakfast, Blair continued to explore the area. She ventured into a few quaint little shops and purchased some items for herself. As she began to find her way back to the hotel, someone grabbed her purse and knocked her to the ground.

"Stop, thief!" she yelled in distress.

Two gentlemen who were walking nearby dashed off after the culprit and another one helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright Madam?" The handsome stranger asked her in Spanish.

"My purse!" Blair replied in English. "He stole my purse!"

"Ah, you are American, yes?" he questioned in relatively good English.

"Yes, from New York," she admitted.

"Ah, then you should be used to ruffians," he commented with a light laugh. "Barcelona also has many thieves," he informed her.

"So it would seem," she agreed. "But that was my favourite Gucci bag!"

"It is not wise to walk around with such an item here. It tells people you have money on you. You must be more discreet about where you keep your money while in this city. I am Edward Perdos, by the way," he introduced himself and extended his hand.

"Thank-you, I'll remember that," Blair replied as she straightened her skirt and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. She shook his hand. "I'm Blair Waldorf."

She spied the other two men returning. Both were shaking their heads.

"I regret, but it seems the thief got away," he admitted.

"Well thank-you for trying anyways," Blair replied in defeat to the three gentlemen.

"Let me see you back safely to your hotel," Edward insisted as he placed his hand on her arm as to escort her. He had noted she was still a little shakey and might appreciate the support until she was safely back in safer surroundings.

"Thank-you, that's very kind of you," she replied. She was indeed feeling pretty shaken up after being accosted in broad daylight and she noticed the afternoon sun had changed into a quickly approaching evening. She did not want to be out here in the dark. She allowed the man to accompany her back to the hotel.

Edward began telling her about the culture of the city and his family's connection with it. He described some of the safer destinations for tourists, and some others which she should stay clear. He informed her he was involved in the import business, having an office not too far from where Blair had been robbed.

"It really is a beautiful city if you can forgive the criminal element in it," he assured her.

They were approaching the Bass Hotel when Blair spotted Chuck coming down the sidewalk towards her. He did not appear too happy to see her and the man who currently had his hand on the small of her back.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Blair?" he snapped at her. "I've been looking for you for the last hour. And who is this?" he asked as he glared at Edward rudely.

"Chuck, this is Edward Perdos," Blair replied looking Chuck sternly in the eye. "And he rescued me this afternoon after I was robbed on the street."

"You were robbed?" he startled, mouth agog.

"I'm fine, it was really my fault" Blair replied trying to not make too big of a deal about it. After all, she knew how easy it was to freak Chuck out.

"Your fault? How could someone robbing you possibly be your fault?" he asked.

"She means that she shouldn't have been walking around in the market with a purse. It draws unwanted attention," Edward explained as he removed his hand from Blair's back and held it out to Chuck. "And you are?" he inquired.

"Her boyfriend!" Chuck snapped. "Thank-you for escorting my girlfriend home, Mr. Perdos." Chuck added dismissively as he grabbed Blair's hand and pulled her around to return to the hotel.

"Chuck!" Blair hissed, "Don't be so rude! That man was only trying to help me." She turned around to see Edward staring at her in disbelief as she was being practically dragged up the street. "Thank-you again Edward," she called.

They didn't speak until they were back in the hotel room. She was disgusted with his utter rudeness to someone who had been so kind and thoughtful towards her. She was also shocked that he had referred to her as 'his girlfriend.' Hadn't he told her she was NOT his girlfriend before she got into his limo the other night? She shook the thought out of her head. She needed to speak to him about Edward first. So she let him have it.

"Chuck, you didn't need to be so rude to that man. He was merely escorting me back to the hotel. He wanted to make sure I was safe."

"He had his hands on you Blair. He wanted more than to see you home safely. And what were you doing out wandering around on the street alone for anyways? It's not safe for a woman alone in this city."

"You told me to leave you alone Chuck," she replied as tears started to rain down her cheeks. "Just where else was I supposed to go?"

Chuck groaned as he sat down on the bed beside her and put his head down into his hands. "I knew I should have come here alone."

"I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience for you Chuck." Blair cried as she looked at him in disbelief. She got off the bed and stormed into the bathroom.

A moment later she heard the door of their hotel room slam. She opened the bathroom door and peered out. He was gone.

**XOXO**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

**A/N: **I know this is a quick release for another chapter, but I want to concentrate on Gunnin for the next day or so... The episode tonight broke my heart again.

**XOXO  
**

She was angry. Maybe she had made a mistake coming here with him, she thought. After all, he didn't really seem to want her here. She'd be damned if she'd sit around and do nothing all day while he partied the night away and slept all day. She seriously began to think she should just leave.

She got on the phone and began the painful task of canceling her credit cards. Thank God her passport and other ID were still in her suitcase. That would have been worse. But now she was without cash and her cell phone, two items she desperately wanted right now. She ordered room service and then went into the shower.

She felt better once she was clean. She ate her meal alone once again and thought about going to bed, but then changed her mind. She was going to find Chuck.

She headed down to the hotel's bar and looked around for him. The room was filled, mostly with men, many of whom were staring at her. She shuddered and quickly sat up at the bar and ordered herself a Martini. She looked around the crowded room but failed to see him. He wasn't there.

"Excuse me," she asked the bartender. "I'm looking for Charles Bass. He's the American gentleman whose family owns this hotel. Could you tell me if he's here tonight?"

"Pardon my asking Miss," the bartender replied, "but do you mind telling me who you are?"

"Sorry, of course," she returned. "My name is Blair Waldorf and I came from New York with Mr. Bass. I thought he was coming down to the bar tonight."

"He was here just awhile ago," the bartender answered looking a little nervous. "But he left."

"Oh! Do you happen to know where he went?" Blair asked, noting the man's discomfort and feeling a little anxious about it.

The bartender excused himself for a moment and served a couple of customers that were oogling Blair from the other end of the bar. She noticed the bartender snap at them and they both hurried away back into the crowd without giving Blair another glance.

"Your Mr. Bass has gone to another club, I'm afraid," the bartender finally replied as he returned to her. "In The Rambia district," he added.

"Oh, I see," Blair responded. "Then thank-you for your time." She swallowed the rest of her martini and left as dozens of hungry eyes followed her from the bar.

That bastard! Blair knew about The Rambia district from what Edward had told her that afternoon. He had told her about the famous red light district, warning her to never find herself on those streets. It was the most dangerous part of the city. Edward had explained that it was an area well known for its seedy bars, drug dealers and houses of prostitution. She was disgusted.

She returned to their suite and sat on the couch, devastated. Why aren't I ever enough, she wondered again. Here she was in his hotel room, thousands of miles from home and he was out looking for a hooker!

She went into the bathroom and scrubbed the makeup off of her face. She put her pyjamas back on and got into their bed. Alone. Again. She cried herself to sleep.

**XOXO**

He entered the suite several hours later, being helped in by a couple of hotel staff members.

"There you go Mr. Bass," one of them informed him. "You're in your suite now, sir."

"Thanks so much, gentlemen," Chuck slurred and headed for the little bar in the room.

He grabbed the bottle of scotch and promptly slid down the back of the bar to the floor. He tried to open the bottle, but didn't seem able to coordinate his fingers enough to complete the task. Finally he just threw it against the wall.

Blair awoke with a start and watched Chuck kind of slump over himself. She was out of bed in a flash.

"Chuck!" she screamed as she caught his head before it slid to the floor. "Sit up!"

"Hey, Waldorf!" He muttered and tried to focus on her face. It was impossible.

Blair noted how dilated the pupils in his eyes were. This was more than just drunkenness. He was doped up too.

"What did you take tonight Chuck?" she asked as she shook him to try and keep him awake. She slapped him lightly across the face a few times until he opened his eyes to look at her again.

"Come on, Chuck," she told him. "You need to get in the bathroom. We need to wake you up a bit. She got him under the arms and attempted to pull him up. With her help, he finally made it to his feet and she hauled him into the bathroom.

"Get on you knees Bass," she directed him when they were in front of the toilet.

"I like the sound of that, Waldorf. I remember you taste delicious," he slurred.

She slapped him up side the head. "That's not what I meant, you pig! You need to get rid of whatever's in your system. I'm going to make you puke."

"But I don' wanna puke, Blair," he whined. "I wanna sleep.

"I don't care what you want to do, you Basshole. You need to vomit." She forced him to his knees and pulled him by the hair until his head was over the toilet.

"If you wanted to play rough….," he began, but Blair cut off his words as she slid her finger into his mouth and down his throat.

He promptly began to empty out the contents of his stomach. It seemed to be endless. Unfortunately, he got it all over himself and her too. It was all Blair could do to not vomit herself.

When he was finally finished being sick she got him to his feet. He was a little more stable this time and could stand without too much support. She began to undress him. She handed him a toothbrush filled with paste and told him to get scrubbing his teeth. He absolutely stank!

Blair turned him around and started to undress him, using one hand to hold him steady while the other undid buttons and snaps. "You need a shower," she informed him. "You're filthy." She handed him water in a cup to rinse out his mouth. He spat in the sink and straightened back up.

He let her undress him like a mother might do a child. She leaned him against the bathroom wall and turned on the shower, turning back to get him just as he started to slide down the wall.

"Come on, Chuck," she growled under her breath. "I need you to help me here."

There was no possibility she was going to be able to keep him vertical in the shower on his own. It was too large and he was too intoxicated. So she climbed in with him, baby dolls and all.

She pushed him against the wall of the enclosure and turned the spray onto him. She grabbed the shampoo and prepared to lather him up. She stood before him, letting the water soak her back and run down her front as she applied the shampoo to his hair and began to scrub him. He closed his eyes and softly moaned as her nails caressed his scalp.

He reached up and stroked her wet breast through her pyjamas. She looked at him as he stared at her. "Blair," he moaned again.

Blair shook her head in disbelief. "Now is not the time, Bass!" she grumbled and pulled him into the spray so his hair got rinsed out. She gently pushed him back against the wall and reached for the soap. She lathered up a cloth and began to work on his body starting from his face down. She stopped at his waist and then urged him to turn around. She had to suppress a laugh as he stood spread eagle for her against the wall. She continued to scrub his back, and then slid down and did his legs and his bum. He turned around for her again and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you going to finish this?" he smarmed.

She smirked at him and lathered up the cloth again, reaching down to gently cup him so as to finish up. She remained straight faced as she completed her task, her eyes never leaving his for a second.

When she was finished, she dropped the cloth and soap into the soap tray and pulled him forward again to let the water rinse away the soap. He closed his eyes and reached out his arms to hold onto her, drawing her into a hug.

"Thank-you," he told her.

She stiffened under his embrace, fighting the tears she knew were on the threshold again. She finally pulled away and shut off the water. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. She pulled him from the shower and began to dry him off with a second towel, starting with his hair and working her way down.

As she was drying his feet, she felt a towel being draped across her own wet head and he gently began to dry her hair. She looked up at him. He leaned over, took the bottom of her sopping wet baby doll top, and lifted it up over her head. He grabbed another towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. He helped her up to her feet, his hands each holding onto one of her arms. Slowly he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

She pulled back. She was shivering from the cold and something more. She clutched the towel around her tighter and took him by the hand. She led him out of the bathroom and over to the bed. He managed to get himself under the covers, but couldn't take his eyes off of her. She got a clean nightie out from her suitcase and stepped back into the bathroom to dry off and change. Once she finished towel drying and brushing out her hair, she shut out the lights and slid into the far side of the bed. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She began to cry.

He could feel her shake from the other side of the bed. He believed her to be cold so he scooted over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. It was then that he noticed she was crying.

"What is it Blair?" he asked, holding her tighter. "Why are you crying?"

She shook her head and tried to pull away from him, but he held on tighter.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head and then whispered into her ear, "Thank-you for cleaning me up."

"You have to stop hurting yourself like that, Chuck," she sobbed into his chest. "It hurts too much to see you like that."

"I'm sorry Blair," he apologised to her hair. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Why did you go there anyways, Chuck?" she asked him between sobs.

"Go where?" he asked, "What do you mean?"

"To The Rambia district Chuck. I know you went there tonight."

"I, I just needed something different, Blair. I couldn't stick around tonight after what happened this afternoon," he confessed.

"So you went out looking for a cheap high and a hooker, Chuck?" she asked finally pulling away from him and looking him in the face.

"How did you know about The Rambia district?" he asked.

"Edward told me about it this afternoon," she replied as more tears started to fall. "He told me it was a place of ill repute. Why did you have to go there of all places, Chuck? Why am I not enough for you?"

She got out of bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He got out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door. He was sobering up fast but was still a little unsteady on his feet. "Please come out, Blair," he asked her. "I want to talk to you."

"Well maybe I don't want to talk to you," she replied through her sobs from the other side of the door.

"Blair, come on," he pleaded as he continued knocking on the door. "Please open up!"

He went over to his suitcase and grabbed a pair of pyjama pants out of it, then headed to the couch to put them on. He spied the broken glass of the bottle against the far wall of the suite and sighed, wishing he hadn't thrown the scotch. He could use a shot right about now.

Finally Blair came out of the bathroom and climbed back into bed. Chuck immediately shut off the light and climbed in after her.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Blair. But I'm sorry, alright?" he said to her from across the mattress.

She turned around to face him. "No, Chuck. It is not alright," she began. "It is not alright that you drink yourself into a stupor. It is not alright that you take God knows what kind of drugs that dam near kill you, and it is not alright that you seek comfort in some cheap slut that cares nothing for you except what you have in your wallet. Don't you think it hurts me to see you do this to yourself? It breaks my heart!"

"I wasn't with a hooker tonight," he said quietly.

"What?" she asked.

He sighed. "I said I wasn't with a hooker tonight. But I have to admit, it was part of the plan for going to The Rambia district at first. But I just couldn't do it"

"Why not?" she asked in disbelief.

"Because I have this incredibly hot little brunette that I'm wild about under my skin right now who claims to love me. And, despite how crazy she drives me, she's the only one I want in my bed anymore. So….," he continued, "Despite my initial plan to get totally fucked in every way possible tonight, I just managed to do it in the booze and narcotic sense."

He scooted back over to her and pulled her into his arms again. "And for your information, Waldorf," he stated as he kissed her gently on her mouth, "You are, and have always been, more than enough for me."

"I really do love you, Chuck," Blair admitted to him. "It wasn't something I just happened to say lightly. But you need to know, you hurt me when you hurt yourself."

"I really am sorry, Blair, but it's something I can't really help right now. The booze and the drugs are helping me deal with Bart. I know it's not the healthiest way and it's hard to understand, but you can't take it personally. It's just something I have to do right now. You can't help me with that."

"Then what can I help you with Chuck?" she asked earnestly.

"You can let me show you how much I care about you too," he replied as he pressed his lips against hers tenderly."I love you too, you know," he whispered to her.

Blair pulled away and looked at him. "You,…. you love me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Always have, always will," he replied with a smile as his mouth recaptured hers once more.

**XOXO **

**A/N:** Ok, at this point I need feedback from my fans on the rating. As it stands, it is a T rating. I am willing to change it to an M, but that means it's gonna get a little offensive for some of the readers. If that's what you want, I'll change it and heat things up a bit. Otherwise, i am ok keeping it as is...semi clean, with just a hint of heat... I will try and not get too carried away (like I often do with my M rated stuff….) but I need feedback on what you guys want.

Oh, and please... if you liked it, please review it (and for that matter, if you hate it, please let me know why as well). Chapter 4 out in a day or two... or three.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N:** Thank you for your input and your reviews! This chapter remains a T rating with a bit of heat a little later on (but not as explicit as I consider an M rating to be.)

When Blair awoke the next morning, Chuck was already out of bed and gone. She shook her head in disbelief wondering where he had taken off to this time. She was feeling disappointed that he wasn't around to discuss what had transpired last night both before and after his return to the hotel, before they both fell asleep.

After his shocking dedication of love things had started to get a little heated between them. But Blair shut it down before they got too carried away. She wasn't sure she was quite ready for _that_ yet, especially while he was under the influence.

This morning she chose to lounge around the hotel instead of pine away for an absent Chuck. She booked herself into the spa on the main floor for a complete body treatment, billing it, of course, to Chuck's account. She wouldn't receive her replacement banking cards for another day or so. A couple of hours later she returned to the room feeling refreshed and ready to take on anything. Or so she thought.

She arrived back at the suite to find an absolute disaster. There was shattered glass, water and roses everywhere.

"Chuck, what is going on?" she asked of the disaster that was before her.

With a scowl he handed her a note that appeared to have accompanied the flowers. Apparently they had been from Edward to Blair, thanking her for the pleasure of her company yesterday. She was stunned.

"They were in the room when I got back from shopping this afternoon," he told her.

"And they spontaneously erupted all over the room on their own, Chuck?" she asked sarcastically.

"They pissed me off!" Chuck grumbled under his breath and then continued, "or rather he pissed me off. Dammit, Blair. I told you that guy was interested in you," he complained. "Now I have to worry about you with the locals. I don't need that right now, ok?"

"I can see that you're upset, Chuck," Blair replied. "But you have nothing to worry about with Edward. He was really only being a gentleman seeing me home. It was sort of sweet, but completely innocent."

She walked over to where Chuck was standing while avoiding bits of flower and vase viscera, and put her arms around his neck. "You know I only have eyes for you, right?" she asked coyly as she leaned in and kissed him below his left ear.

He withdrew from her embrace and looked at her, wondering why she was giving him such attention.

His motion startled her and she withdrew her advances, blushing. She changed the subject quickly.

"I should call housekeeping to clean up this mess," she suggested.

He nodded his head in agreement. "What happened to my scotch?" he asked as he gestured towards the recently stained back wall of the suite where the remains of the bottle lay broken.

"You're kidding, right?" Blair asked him.

He looked at her blankly. "No, I'd like to know why my scotch bottle is shattered over the back wall and floor of our suite. What happened to it? Were you angry with me or something?"

"I don't believe this!" Blair said in amazement. She felt herself blanch. "Do you not remember _anything_ that happened in here last night?"

"I was out last night Blair," he replied. "When I woke up this morning I found the mess. What happened?"

Again Blair found herself shaking her head in disbelief. "YOU are what happened last night, Chuck. You were extremely loaded and were angry over something so you threw the bottle at the wall. It woke me up."

"I did?" he questioned. It was unlike him to waste perfectly good scotch

"Chuck, you spent the evening in The Rambia district doing God knows what," she explained. "You were so out of it I had to make you vomit and then bathe you."

"You gave me a bath?" he asked in disbelief with a big smirk.

"Well, a shower actually, ..… technically it's the same thing," she confirmed with a bit of a blush.

"Did I enjoy it?" he asked. He was enjoying how her color was deepening. He was a little disappointed he couldn't remember the event itself. "Or, perhaps I should ask, did _we_ enjoy it?"

"You probably enjoyed it far more than you should have," she retorted. "And as for me, no, Chuck. I most certainly did not enjoy it. You were dangerously intoxicated last night. It scared me."

He walked over to where she was standing and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Waldorf. I'm not being much of a friend right now, am I?"

Blair huffed. "You're not supposed to be here for me right now, Chuck" she replied. "I'm the one who's supposed to be here supporting you. I was glad to help you last night. It could have been dangerous for you being that loaded here alone."

"I'm sorry then if it upset you," he replied. "Now let's get out of here so someone can clean up this mess."

Blair nodded her head and followed his lead out the door and down into the bar where they had a late lunch together. But as he sat brooding over the men who were sending inviting looks Blair's way, she was miles away in thought.

She couldn't believe it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Blair thought of herself. Of course he was too intoxicated to remember anything. He doesn't really love me, she thought sadly. Why would he? After all he went looking for a hooker last night, didn't he? It was whatever pollutants were in his body talking, that's all. She swallowed hard, fighting off tears of rejection and anger.

Chuck felt something twist in the pit of his stomach when he saw Blair's face fall. Something was going on. "What's the matter," he asked hoping she would tell him.

She shook her head and replied, "Nothing. Don't worry about it, Chuck." She managed a weak smile for him but he knew better, her mouth didn't match her eyes.

**XOXO**

For the next couple of days Chuck curbed his drinking and stayed closer to Blair. They spent some time together on the beach and just laying low.

But on the day when Bart had been dead for one week, Chuck withdrew into himself and disappeared from their hotel once again. This time he was gone for a few days and Blair was growing frantic not knowing where he was.

She was in the hotel having an early dinner alone one evening when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Do you mind if I join you," asked Edward politely.

Blair smiled at the friendly face and motioned for him to sit. She'd been alone for the last couple of days and needed company and someone to talk to.

She explained to Edward that Chuck had disappeared and she was worried sick. She needed to go look for him, but was afraid to venture too far from the hotel after what had happened to her in the market before.

Edward told her he would be more than happy to assist her, but frowned when Blair told him they needed to go to The Rambia district.

They took a cab to the infamous area where they began their search in earnest, going in and out of bars and talking to various hookers. The place gave Blair the creeps, but with Edward there, she did not feel unsafe.

They finally found him in a seedy little bar that was tucked away behind a brothel. He wasn't in good shape again, but seemed much less wasted then the last time.

Blair shooed a couple of hookers away that were hovering around him like flies on rancid meat. She slid into the booth next to him and took his hand in hers.

"Chuck," she said gently, "It's time to come back to the hotel. I've been worried."

He looked at her vacantly and told her, "My father's dead."

"I know Chuck," she acknowledged sadly as she squeezed his had. "But it's time to come back to the hotel." She began to pull him out of the seat and he followed her, never letting go of his hand.

"Thank you again, Edward," she said as they emerged from the slimy little bar onto the street. "I'll take him back to the hotel now."

Edward nodded his head. "But of course," he agreed.

At the mention of the man's name, Chuck's head snapped up at attention. He let go of Blair's hand and he made a lunge for him.

"What are you doing with my girlfriend?" he yelled.

Fortunately Blair's reflexes were faster at the moment than Chuck's were, and she caught him by the arms before he could do any damage.

"He's helping me Chuck!" Blair shouted. "He brought me here so that I could find you and bring you back to the hotel. Don't be such an ass!"

She opened the door of the cab and guided him in before her.

"I'm sorry," she apologised to Edward. "He's going through a really rough time right now. Thank you again for helping me… I mean us, out."

"Don't worry about it," Edward replied. "Anytime you need my help, just ask." He took out a business card and handed it to Blair.

Blair got in the taxi and they headed to the hotel.

Chuck didn't speak the whole way back. When they got to their suite Blair informed him he stunk again and needed a shower. This time he just nodded and headed in on his own. She called room service to order a light meal for him knowing he probably hadn't eaten much in days. She noted the room was overly warm tonight so she opened their window to let in a breeze. Once she heard the water running for the shower she undressed, put on her nightie, and got into bed.

When he finished in the bathroom he came out in clean pyjama pants and sat on the bed. He was soon up again and heading to the bar.

"There's food for you," she motioned towards the meal cart.

"I just brushed my teeth," he stated. "And I'm not hungry" He let go a huge sigh and shook his head, staring down at the floor. "Why were you with that man again, Blair?" he asked.

"You mean Edward?" she asked. "Please, Chuck! You're going to pull the jealous card after I had to practically peel those hookers off of you tonight?"

"You know that's different, Blair. I want to know why you were with him."

Blair shook her head in disbelief. "He showed up at the hotel and came over to see how I was doing," she explained. "I told him I needed to go out and find you and he offered to take me to The Rambia district to look for you. Would you have preferred I had gone on my own?"

"Of course not, Blair. It's not safe for you there. I just don't like him with you. Something about him doesn't feel right to me."

"It's not safe for you there either, Chuck," she replied. "And you don't like me with anyone. But I have to do something when you disappear like that. You know I hate being alone. What have you been doing the last few days?" she asked. "I've been worried sick about you."

He reached for the scotch and began to pour himself a drink.

"You just brushed your teeth, remember," she reminded him. "Look Chuck, you can't just disappear like that on me again, ok? If you really don't want me to be here with you anymore, I'll just leave."

"It's not that, Blair. I don't want you to leave." He set his glass down and looked at her.

"Then what IS it, Chuck? Because all I know is that you keep taking off and shutting me out. And I know this isn't about me. I get that. But the truth is," she admitted as she looked down in embarrassment at her feet. "The truth is, I'm lonely. I miss you."

He walked over to where she was standing and put his arms around her, drawing her into his chest. He placed a small kiss on the top of the head. In turn, Blair wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head over his heart.

"I missed you too," he said. "And I'm really sorry. It's just that I finally realized that Bart really isn't ever coming back. I mean, I knew he was dead, but he's really never coming back! I am completely alone on this planet with no family." He held her tighter as his words were coming out.

"That's not completely true, Chuck," Blair argued. "You have a step family that adores you and I…"

"They are NOT my family Blair, he interrupted. "And Lily is partially to blame for Bart's death.

"Chuck, She still cares about you, as do Eric and Serena. And I know I'm not family, but you have me here too, if you want me, that is," Blair continued.

"Why do you even care, Blair?" he asked.

"B…Because I love you, Chuck. I've told you this already."

"But why do you love me? I've been trying to figure that out and for the life of me I just can't! Even my own father didn't love me, so why do you?" he asked. His voice seemed a little choked-up.

"Bart loved you in his own way, Chuck," she explained. She began to rub small soothing circles in his back to help comfort him. "And he probably did the best he was capable of under the circumstances. Unfortunately, none of our parents were ever able to show us they gave a shit, were they? But I don't think that doesn't mean they didn't care about us, just that they were shitty parents."

Blair felt him hold her even tighter. She thought she might pop if it continued, but she dare not let go of him. She suspected he was crying a little and wanted to give him the freedom of grief if he needed it.

"But that doesn't tell me why you love me, Blair," he whispered.

"I love you, Chuck ,because you're one of my best friends. We get each other like no one else seems to be able to. I guess we're cut from the same cloth," she giggled. "And I love you because of how you make me feel when we're together, like I matter…like I'm important. So even though it might not be much, you have me.." She placed a kiss over his heart. It was beating faster now.

"You are important to me too, Blair," he whispered. "And you do matter. I don't know where I'd even be right now if it wasn't for you. Maybe I'd be in some opium den in Bangkok or something. Or maybe I'd be dead."

"Don't say that Chuck," she said with a shudder. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. So please don't do that to me. I couldn't bear it." She held him a little bit closer.

He took his arms from around her and stepped back, looking deep into her eyes. He raised his hands to cup her face and leaned in to gently brush his lips over hers in a kiss. He rested his forehead against hers.

Blair leaned in and captured his lips in a deeper kiss. Her hands found their way to his hair and her nails gently raked his scalp causing a slight moan to come from him

He moved in closer for more and Blair found herself against the wall. Chuck's hands slid up her body causing Blair to shiver, despite the heat in the little room.

"Chuck," she moaned when she felt his hardness against her. She put her hands behind him to cup his bum and she pulled him even closer to her.

With a desperation he didn't know was possible for him to possess, he began to devour her. "Blair," he groaned hungrily into her ear, "I…, I need you."

He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, gently laying her down.

He lifted her nightie up over her head and began to ravish her neck and shoulders with his mouth as his hands did her body.

Blair reached down to help him slide out of his pyjama pants, caressing and kissing him as she did.

He lay her back down again and positioned himself at her entrance. He needed her too urgently to take it slow and was grateful he found her already ready for him. She wrapped her legs around his back and her arms around his neck in encouragement.

She cried out in pleasure as he lunged into her, filling her to the hilt with his need. There would be no tenderness or other subtleties tonight. Tonight what Chuck needed was connection.

**XOXO**

**A/N: **If you liked it, please review it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: **Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to review. I must confess I am a little disappointed with the lack of reviews for the last chapter… I can only assume that means it wasn't enjoyed. If you thought, it sucked, I'd like to know that too.

**XOXO**

Chuck couldn't sleep. He lay there watching the moonlight reflect off her porcelain skin while she slept next to him, and he wept. He had never needed to feel as close to someone as he did tonight, never needed anyone or anything to fill the emptiness within his soul before. And Blair had fulfilled that need for him. Her love for him simply overwhelmed him.

He reached over to gently stroke the side of her exposed breast, and when she sighed at his touch, he smiled. He slid closer to her and wrapped her in his arms, his heart skipping a beat as she snuggled under his embrace, resting her head once more against his heart.

He thought about them, remembering back to earlier times when she belonged to Nate. He had wanted her then, but she was out of his league. She had always been too good for him, despite what he had wanted her to think.

And then when they finally did connect, she proved to be more than he would have believed possible. But she had hurt him terribly and he had been horrible to her for it, wanting her to hurt her as much as she had hurt him.

Through all of it, however, he had never stopped wanting her, needing her, loving her. Yes love, he thought to himself. He loved her.

And it was nothing that he could have ever imagined possible. It was so much more! He knew he loved scotch. He loved money and what he could do with it. He loved having sex. And he loved Nate. He had even come to realise recently that he loved his father, although it was a little late for that. But the love he felt for Blair went way beyond any of these. It was more than he could have ever conceived. Again he was overwhelmed.

He realised that this love feeling made him vulnerable to even more hurt. She had ruined him! Hell, he couldn't even tolerate the thought of being with another woman since she told him she loved him. And he had tried. The hookers in The Rambia district had also tried. But he just couldn't do it. He wanted no other woman but Blair. So losing himself to mindless sex was now impossible. His heart was weak. And if it hurt this much to lose his father, who he may have loved- but wasn't close to, just how much more would it hurt him to lose Blair? It was unfathomable. The very thought made him shudder and he drew her in even closer, feeling the earlier sensation of desperation upon him once again.

Blair felt his arms tighten around her and she awoke, sensing he needed her. "What is it, Chuck?" she asked as she lifted her head off of his chest and looked at him.

He brought his hand up and wiped the wetness from his eyes and sniffed. "It's nothing Blair, just go back to sleep."

"No Chuck, you're obviously hurting right now and I want to be there for you. What's going on?"

He held her back against his chest and stroked her head. "I was just thinking," he told her.

"About your dad?" she inquired.

"Maybe a bit," he answered. "But more about you."

"Oh," she responded, feeling a little surprised. "What about me?"

"I was thinking how much losing you would hurt me," he answered truthfully. "And I don't think I could handle it. It scares me."

"You don't need to worry about that," she replied as she snuggled into him some more. "I'm not planning on going anywhere for awhile."

He pulled away from her and raised himself on one elbow to look into her face. "I need to explain something to you," he stated. "I was really awful to you over the last year or so because I felt hurt. It was easier for me to try and hurt you back instead of dealing with my own feelings, so I kept it up, despite how I really felt. But I think you know all that. I'm so sorry I hurt you, Blair."

She smiled at him. "I knew you were hurt Chuck. I know you probably better than you know yourself. And I deliberately didn't make things easy for you either, even though I loved your. We're a lot alike like that, you know."

"I know," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

Blair reached up to draw him in closer. She gently bit his lower lip and then kissed him. He moaned into her mouth as his tongue slid into hers. She pulled away for a moment and rolled on top of him, moaning herself as his hands began to caressed her back, bottom and thighs. This time they made love slowly, savouring each other as love set the pace.

**XOXO**

For the next few days Chuck seemed to stabilize a little. His drinking had been cut way back and he stayed away from The Rambia district. They spent time together exploring the city, the waterfront, and each other. Blair felt that he was making progress in dealing with his father's death and with their relationship.

But Christmas was around the corner and Blair was feeling a little anxious about it. She had absolutely no idea on what to do about the holidays. And holidays were important to her. Her family would expect her home, as would Chuck's. The problem was she wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject with him. She realised he probably wasn't ready yet.

Blair also realised that neither of them had had contact with anyone from the UES for awhile. She hadn't been in touch with Serena, for example, since the afternoon when her purse had been stolen in the market. She was still pissed off for her friend's comments about them running away. She wasn't the one running after all, it was Chuck. She was just here to support him.

Blair was additionally afraid that forcing Chuck back to New York before he was ready would likely cause more damage to him, than good. So when he asked her what she was thinking about one particular day a week before Christmas, she decided to tread lightly on the subject and feel him out.

"Well I was thinking about what I should get you for Christmas this year," she said, which wasn't really a lie because she had been thinking of that earlier too.

He scowled. "I had completely forgotten about Christmas," he admitted. He looked at her and wondered if she had an agenda here.

"What do you want to do about it?" He asked her, knowing that Christmas was her favourite holiday and a huge event for her family. He had often spent that day on his own, often intoxicated. "Do you want to go home?"

"I,…I don't know," she replied honestly. "I guess if you come with me, I do."

"I can't go back there yet," he told her. "I'm not ready. But you should probably go. Your family will expect you."

"My family can have Christmas for one year without me, Chuck. Besides, mom has Cyrus now and my father was planning on staying in France this year."

"But," she said as the wheels started to spin in her head. "I'm sure we could go to my father's chateaux if you wanted. They're only a short distance away from the Spanish border. I know they would love to have us."

"I don't know, Blair," he responded nervously. "I'm not so sure I could handle that."

"Well it's a possibility, if you change your mind," she said with a smile as she walked over and hugged him. She reached up and planted a light kiss on his chin.

"Maybe," he grumbled. "But I wouldn't count on it. You should still go on your own, Blair. I know Christmas is important to you and your family. I'll be fine by myself."

"I already told you I won't leave you alone at Christmas, Chuck."

"I don't want you to miss out on the holidays, Blair," he responded "They're too important to you."

"They're not as important to me as you are," she told him. "I mean it, Chuck. I am not leaving you alone for Christmas!"

"Let's talk about it later," he said. "I don't want to argue about this. Let's walk down to the beach and see what's going on today."

They headed past the hotel and soon found themselves in the market area on the way to the waterfront. As they were passing by a little booth that sold jewellery, Blair heard a familiar voice calling her name.

Blair turned around and saw Edward walking towards them. She felt Chuck's hand tighten around hers a little firmer.

"Hi Edward," she replied to him. "What are you up to today?"

"I'm just on my way to meet with a client," he replied. "You both look well", he noted. He looked at Blair and gave her a warm smile. "I'd like to invite you to my Christmas party. It's in three days, at my house on the waterfront. It will be a wonderful party. You'll love it Blair," he said warmly to her. Then he looked over at the searing look that Chuck was giving him. He managed a weak smile and asked, "How are you doing, Mr. Bass?"

Chuck looked at Edward. He didn't want to come across as a dick again to Blair this time, but he really did not like the looks of this man, nor the way he was looking at Blair. "I'm fine thank-you," he stated coldly.

Edward shifted uncomfortably under Chuck's gaze. He was more than aware of the man's feelings for him. It wasn't hard. "Well, it was nice to see both of you again," he commented nervously. "But I really must go and meet my client. I hope to see you at the Christmas party."

"Thank-you, Edward," Blair replied with a warm smile. "I'm not sure what we're doing yet, but we'll think about it, alright."

They bade him goodbye and then continued on their way through the market towards the beach district. Chuck was very quiet. Blair shook her head wishing he wasn't such a jealous ass.

A little while later the waterfront came into view. "Maybe we should go to France for a little while for Christmas," he told Blair. After all he'd do anything, he thought, to keep her away from Edward.

**XOXO**

**A/N**: If you liked it, please review it. If you hated it, please tell me why.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Thank you for all of the reviews for chapter 5… It lets me know people are interested in it. Sorry for anyone having difficulty with the site… I think there is a ghost in the machine or my stories are possessed or something, the site has been so wonky. Anyways, on to the story…..

**XOXO**

He booked their flight for the day before Edward's party. No way in hell was he going to

parade Blair around in front of that guy. He wasn't stupid.

Harold and Roman picked them up at the airport and drove them out to the chateaux.

"It's a real treat to have you here, Blair Bear," Harold told his daughter as he hugged her once again at the chateaux. "And you too, Charles. We don't get a lot of company from back home very often." Harold walked over to Chuck and he embraced him as well. "We were very sorry to hear about your father, Charles." He told him.

"Thank-you, sir," Chuck said as he fought back the tears that were now threatening him. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I will show them to their rooms," Ramon volunteered as he grabbed on to Blair's suitcase and motioned them both to follow him upstairs.

"Thank-you, Roman. I'll start making dinner for everybody". Harold announced.

Roman took them down a long hallway and opened two doors that were next to each other.

"Here are two rooms that might work for you," he began. "There is an adjoining door between them through the shared bathroom in case you need to….. visit each other." He blushed slightly and then giggled at the puzzled look on Blair's face. "He is your lover, non?" he asked.

Blair turned beet-red at the question. "Yes, Roman, he is my lover. But please don't tell my father. He would be upset."

"That is why I chose the rooms for you and not Harold," Ramon confessed with a smile. "American parents are very conservative. But your father seldom comes up into the guest quarters. Our room is downstairs, if you need anything. Please make yourselves at home. Dinner will be in about an hour."

Blair gave Roman a big hug and they both thanked him for his assistance.

Blair began to immediately unpack her clothes in the wardrobe in her room. Chuck remained at the door, unsure of himself.

Blair noticed his discomfort. She put down the outfit she was holding and went over to him. "Chuck, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know if I can do this, Blair," he said as he felt his eyes well up again.

"Do what, Chuck?" she asked.

"This," he motioned around him. "This family thing. I'm not sure I belong here. Especially considering…"

"Especially considering what, Chuck?" Blair asked. "It's Christmas. My father and Roman are pleased to welcome you into their home. And I love you, Chuck. You're a part of me now. I know it may not be much, but you're family to me, you know. And I want to share my family with you." She put her arms around him and wrapped him as close to her as she could.

He didn't say anything but just latched onto her as tight as he was able to, burrowing his face into the curve of her neck. He didn't want her to see the tears that were beginning to roll down his cheeks. He hated crying. And he had cried more this last month than he had since he was a toddler.

But Blair knew. She continued to hold him until she felt his body relax with relief. "It'll be ok, Chuck," she soothed. "I promise."

He released his hold on her and wiped his eyes. "I'll try," he told her.

After dinner Chuck and Blair took a walk through the estate admiring the beautiful views surrounding them. The vineyard was resting for the winter, but had produced some excellent wine that summer, some of which they had had for dinner.

"I'm sorry your mother's pissed at you," Chuck told her. Eleanor had called Harold just after dinner and had complained that her daughter wasn't in New York for the holidays. Harold had let her rant for awhile and then commented that she was his daughter too. As far as he was concerned, it was his turn to have Blair for Christmas. Eleanor had then asked to speak to her daughter and proceeded to give Blair hell too, telling her that her running away with Chuck was unacceptable and they both needed to come home. Blair had been brought to tears by her mother's scolding words until Harold had taken the phone from Blair's hand and had ripped his ex-wife a new one. Roman suggested the two young people go for a lovely walk on the grounds while Harold dealt with Eleanor.

"It's ok, Chuck," Blair sighed. "She gets pissed off whenever she doesn't get her way. I'm actually glad we're here with my dad and Roman," she admitted.

"Why's that?" he asked.

Blair stopped and looked at him. "Well for a couple of reasons," she began. "First of all, my mother isn't, as we both know, always very pleasant to be with. And despite the fact that she's got a new husband and all, she obviously is still somewhat of a bitch!" She laughed a little. "And secondly," she continued, "I want to spend the holidays with you. And that probably wouldn't have happened in New York with Eleanor on the warpath!"

"Well I'm happy to be here with you too," he admitted as he took both of her hands in his and brought them up to his lips for a kiss "I don't think I've ever felt so welcomed into someone else's home, ever."

"Well they know you're important to me, Chuck." She stated as she looked deep into his eyes. "And I told you, you are family to me. I love you."

He swallowed another lump that was rising in his throat. "Blair…," he began. "I,… I love you too," he said as he leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft kiss.

"I know you do Chuck," she said with a little smile. This time she knew he was sober enough to remember his words. Blair wrapped her arms around his neck and she pulled him in for a deeper kiss, parting his lips with her own. His tongue gently swept the inside of her mouth and she moaned softly as her own tongue met his.

They made their way back to the chateaux and curled up in the living room before the large stone fireplace, sipping another glass of Roman's fine wine from their vineyard. Shortly after, Harold and Roman bade their goodnights and ventured down to the opposite end of the chateaux to their master suite.

Chuck lay down on the sofa next to Blair, resting his head on her lap. She gently stroked his head and he closed his eyes, loving the care she lavished on him. He had never had a mother's love when he was little and his very soul craved this type of care and attention she was giving him. He felt loved and safe with her.

She smiled to herself when she felt him drift off to sleep under her administrations. He was so peaceful it warmed her heart. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss behind his ear. "I love you, Chuck," she whispered to him.

"Hmmmpf," he groaned in his sleep and he pulled his arm up to tuck a hand under her thighs. He readjusted his head on her lap and drifted off again.

She woke him a little while later and suggested they go to bed. Harold wanted them up early to go into town and shop for last minute Christmas items. Chuck mumbled for a moment and sat up looking confused. The look on his face made Blair laugh.

"Come on sleepyhead," she told him. "It's time to get you into bed."

"I like the sound of that," he agreed and took her hand to follow her up the stairs.

Once in the room he began to undress. Blair announced she was going to grab a quick shower. She went into the adjoining bathroom between their two rooms and soon got into the steaming hot shower.

"Can I join you?" Chuck asked and he popped his head into the shower stall.

Blair nodded and he soon slid in beside her. He picked up the soap and began to lather her up, enjoying the way her body felt under the slippery lavender scented soap. She moaned in pleasure as his hands slid over every inch of her. She finally got the soap away from him and began to reciprocate on his body, running her hands lovingly all over him.

She finally pulled him under the spray and they rinsed off together. Chuck stood behind her and began to hungrily kiss her neck, running his hands around to her chest where he tenderly stroked each breast. He slid his hands down to her waist and caressed her stomach and then slid them lower down until they were between her legs at her core. He caressed her until he felt her moan with pleasure.

She leaned into him until she could feel his silky hardness pressing against her. She ground herself against him, urging him on. Placing her hands against the shower wall she positioned herself and then reached behind her, helping to guide him into her.

She gasped aloud when he swiftly entered her, and he placed a hand over her mouth lest she wake her father and Roman downstairs. He made love to her until they both came in unison, him placing his hand over her mouth once more to cover her cries of ecstasy.

When they were finished, they rinsed off again and he wrapped them both up in a towel. He lifted her up and carried her into the big bed in the center of Blair's room.

Once they were dry, they climbed into bed and he held her against his chest. "Thank-you," he said to her.

"For what?" she asked.

"For loving me," he replied and he kissed her on the forehead. "And for letting me love you," he added.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You're welcome," she said. She kissed him gently on the mouth and then snuggled back into his chest. They were both asleep in minutes.

**XOXO**

The next few days were hectic with Christmas activities. Chuck and Blair decorated the house and the tree and everyone wrapped presents. A few of Harold's neighbours came to bring Christmas cheer. The two of them went for walks about the estate and drank cocoa and cider in front of the fireplace. Blair even convinced Chuck to attend midnight Mass with the family, despite his insistence that the church would burst into flames if he passed through the doors.

He had never been a part of anything so traditionally normal before and it was overwhelming to him. It was his first experience of being a part of a real family. Blair held his hand through it all and was understanding when he chose to sit back and process what was happening quietly.

It made him sad to realise the extent of how lacking his childhood had really been and he appreciated his relationship with Blair even more. There was a substance in her and in her love that he hadn't really appreciated before. He finally understood her love of family, of tradition and of belonging, something of which he used to laugh and mock her for. He realised he'd never be able to give this up, now that he understood what love and family were all about. And it scared him.

He wanted this. He wanted to be a part of her forever, and the thought of the permanence of this scared the shit right out of him. It was too much, but he wanted it badly.

**XOXO**

**A/N:** If you liked it, please review it. More up shortly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N**: Great response from my readers with that last chapter … Thank –you to all. This is a very short one that will transition us to the next part of the story**. **

With Christmas and the one month anniversary of Bart's death behind them, Blair wondered what was going to happen next for them. Chuck had weathered both events well. He had been quiet and tearful on the anniversary day of his father's death, but handled it better than Blair expected. The two had grown incredibly close over their time at the chateaux, and Blair was a little reluctant to think of their next move.

"Roman and I would like you two to stay longer," Harold told them one evening after supper a few days after Christmas. "Both of you speak French well enough that you could do a semester in town if you wished. We'd loved to have you both stay."

"Thank-you daddy," Blair stated and wrapped her arms around the big man, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "We've loved staying here, but it's our senior year. I'd like to finish up with the rest of my classmates."

Blair looked over at Chuck and saw worry written all over his face. He was not happy to hear about the rest of his senior year so soon. The thought of going back to New York still scared him, but the thought of going back to school again, was too much. He swallowed hard at the thought and looked at the floor.

"Well, it's been lovely having you both with us," Roman stated. "You are welcome to come back any time."

"Thank-you," Blair replied.

"You too, Charles," Roman said and he walked over and gave Chuck a big hug. "You're a part of this family now too. You can come back any time you like, ok?"

"Thank-you, sir" Chuck replied sincerely. "I really appreciate that. But Blair is right. We have to go back home eventually." He sighed and frowned, looking back down at the floor once again.

Later that evening as they lay entwined in each others arms, they discussed what they should probably do next. Chuck wanted to stay at the chateaux for awhile longer. The atmosphere seemed to have soothed his soul. Blair realised he was procrastinating, but she wanted to support him. The truth was, they couldn't run away for ever, although at this point she was sure that Chuck would, if given the choice. She agreed to leave things as they were until after New Years, but then she had to go back. As much as she loved Chuck, she needed to finish her senior year at home.

But their plans were soon shot to hell by the arrival of an unexpected visitor the following day.

Blair's jaw dropped in disbelief when she opened the door to a face from her distant past. She had not seen Chuck's uncle since they were primary school children, years ago. The once very adolescent Jack was now a distinguished looking man.

"I've come to collect my nephew," he announced.

"Uncle Jack," Chuck said in disbelief as he joined Blair at the door. "What, … what are you doing here?"

"I was just explaining to this beautiful young lady that I have come to bring you back home."

"How did you know I was here?" Chuck asked, obviously upset at the sudden appearance of his uncle.

"Mrs. Waldorf was kind enough to tell Lily that you were in hiding at the Waldorf chateaux in southern France. Lily suggested I come I fetch you back."

Jack stopped for a moment and looked at his obviously upset nephew. His eyes then wandered past Chuck and he took in Blair from head to toe. A large smile spread across his face and his eyes took on a twinkle. "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "This can't be little Blair Waldorf, can it? That scrawny, knock-kneed little girl you used to fawn all over? Well, my, my, my! Didn't you turn out extra fine!" he said to Blair.

Blair blushed a deep scarlet color. She did not appreciate the leering eyes of Chuck's uncle all over her body. She remembered the broody teen that Chuck seemed to worship as a child. She recalled him as being cruel to Chuck and his friends, often calling them names and bullying them. He had been horrible to all of them then, and she was not happy to see him here at all now. He absolutely gave her the willies!

Chuck's stomach churned as he watched Jack leer over his girlfriend.

"We're not ready to come back yet," Chuck explained to Jack. "I'm afraid you've wasted a trip."

Jack fished some papers out of his pocket and handed them to Chuck. "It's not your choice any more, Charles," he snarled at him. "You're under eighteen and I am now your official guardian. Pack your bags, you're coming home."

"And if I refuse?" Chuck asked defiantly.

Jack smiled wickedly at his nephew. "Then I have the police escort you to the airport and load you on the plane," he asserted. "You're a minor still, Chuck, you have no choice."

"It's ok, Chuck," Blair told him. "We'll just pack and head back with Jack. Everything will be alright, you'll see."

Jack looked over at Blair again and smirked. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Blair. Chuck is coming home alone with me."

"But Jack, she's my girlfriend," Chuck argued.

"Well, that's… sweet," Jack sneered. "But she isn't coming. We have to discuss private family business. You'll have to catch your little… girlfriend, later."

"But Jack, …..," Chuck began.

"It's alright, Chuck," Blair interrupted. "Jack's probably right. I'm sure there's lots of stuff you need to catch up on. I'll fly back tonight and come and see you tomorrow, ok?"

She put her arms around Chuck and kissed him gently. "It'll be alright," she whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck whispered back, squeezing her a little tighter. In the pit of his stomach he knew that his life had just changed drastically again. And he was afraid that this change wouldn't necessarily be for the better.

"I always knew that girl was smart," Jack snorted with a wink to Blair. "Now hurry along, Charles, we have a plane to catch."

**XOXO**

**A/N: **Ok, so that sets the cat amongst the pigeons, doesn't it? Sorry, but the fluffy stuff will have to wait for awhile. This had to happen. I am attempting to keep things somewhat along the story line here where possible. We have a will to get through and an uncle to deal with next. Hold on to your socks, it's about to get a bit bumpy!….

If you liked it, please review it. I'll update in a few days after I work on the next chapter for Gunnin….


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

They boarded the private jet and soon began the long flight back to New York. Chuck was visibly shaken from being removed from the Waldorf chateaux and his girlfriend.

He wasn't sure exactly how this guardianship thing was supposed to work, but he would contact his lawyers as soon as he got back, to check in to it. So far he was not impressed.

"I don't understand why Blair couldn't come with us, Jack," Chuck complained.

"Relax Charles," Jack said. "I told you," Jack replied, "We have family stuff to talk about and she's not family. Besides, we're going to have some fun on this trip. That means there's no room for girlfriends."

"She is part of my family, Jack," Chuck commented. "I don't know what I'd have done if it wasn't for this last month. She kind of held me together."

"Well That's sweet, Charles, but she really isn't family. I'm afraid it's just you and me now, kid." Jack stated.

"I'm not a child anymore, Jack. I'll be eighteen in a few months," replied Chuck. He was getting a little pissed off at Jack's condescending talk.

"True enough," Jack said. He then asked Chuck, "So Charles, what's your poison?"

"Scotch," Chuck replied.

Jack pressed the help button on the armrest of his chair and two scantily clad flight attendants rushed out to take their drink orders. When the drinks arrived, Jack took out a little bag with some cocaine in it and set himself up a line on the tray his drink came on. He passed the bag and tray to Chuck when he was finished his line, indicating he should have one too.

"Thanks, but I'm trying to stay off the drugs, Jack" Chuck explained as he placed the tray back on the table between them.

"And here I thought you were a party boy," Jack laughed. "At least that's what that slutty Van der Woodsen girl told me. Booze, dope and lots of women, she said."

"Maybe that was before," Chuck argued, "but it's not that way any more."

"Before what?" Jack asked as he looked at Chuck. "Before Blair?"

Chuck looked away from Jack and down at the amber liquid in his glass. He said nothing.

"Ha, ha, ha! I don't believe it!" Jack laughed. "Little Blair Waldorf has the great Chuck Bass whipped like a little church boy."

"It's not like that, Jack," Chuck insisted, trying to control the anger he felt climbing up the back of his neck. He had a huge urge to smash his fist into that pearly white smile of his uncle's face.

"No, Charles," Jack laughed. "I bet that's exactly what it's like." Jack was quiet for a minute in thought and then smirked over at Chuck. "I bet she's worth it if she's as hot in bed as I suspect she is. I bet she's tight too, right Charles? Tell me, does she scream like a wild cat when she cums? I'd like to taste a piece of that sometime. What do you say, Chuck, do you share your toys?"

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Chuck yelled. He got out of his seat and slammed his fist into Jack's face. He was no longer the scared little boy his uncle remembered him to be. And Jack had pushed his boundaries.

Jack leapt up out of his seat and jumped on Chuck, knocking him onto the floor of the plane. He pounded him in the face a couple of times and then kicked him hard in the stomach.

"Hand's off, nephew of mine," Jack sneered. "Next time you think of hitting me, I'll finish you off, understand?"

Chuck chose to stay on the floor and say nothing for a moment. He didn't want to provoke Jack any further. It wouldn't be a wise thing to do at 30,000 feet! After a few minutes he got up and put himself back in his chair. He poured himself another scotch from the decanter that had been left by the flight attendants, and took a long swig. He turned to face out the window and watched the clouds roll by below them.

He wondered what it was he had ever seen in his uncle before. As a young boy Chuck had actually admired and looked up to Jack as a role model, even though he was often mean to him and his friends. Jack always seemed to have a following of girls around him and was always the life of the party. Chuck had tried to imitate Jack and soon found he also had a way with the ladies and could party just as hard.

But then something had happened between Jack and Bart. It must have been something substantial because Jack was sent away to live in Australia and Chuck wasn't permitted to talk about him any more. Jack never visited the UES again. Chuck never discovered the story behind Jack's hasty departure, but he was sure now that there was probably a good reason for it. The man was an ass.

After Jack had had a couple of more drinks and another line of cocaine, he began telling Chuck about his role as his guardian. He was willing to go easy on Chuck as long as Chuck didn't cross him, he said. Chuck could party all he wanted and could have girls around the house. He suspected he would be running Bass Industries, but would make sure Chuck had a reasonable allowance, if he behaved. Additionally, Jack told Chuck that he'd had his things removed from his suite at the palace already and moved back into the penthouse that Bart lived in before he'd married Lily.

"That's another nice piece," Jack laughed, thinking of Lily. "I must say, your father did something right there. It's too bad she's living with that hippy fellow now. I'd like to tap that ass too!"

Chuck bit his tongue and clenched his fists knowing Jack was not only referring to his step mother, but also again about Blair. He wasn't sure how much more of his uncle he'd be able to take. And they weren't even back in the USA yet! He definitely needed to go and see his lawyer once they got back.

A little while later Jack pushed the call button on the arm rest of his seat and summoned the girls out again. One immediately snuggled onto Jack's lap and he began to paw at her. Chuck looked away in disgust. The other flight attendant soon shimmied on over to Chuck. She plopped herself into his lap, wrapped her arms around him and leaned in for a kiss.

Chuck quickly turned his head and pulled the girls arms off from around his neck. "Sorry, but no," he told her.

The girl blushed and left in a hurry.

Chuck shook his head and sighed. He poured himself another scotch and pounded it back in one shot. If he was going to survive this flight, he thought, he'd have to get very, very dunk.

Jack laughed as he watched Chuck turn the girl away and slam back another drink. "What did I tell you," he snorted. "… Whipped!"

**XOXO**

Blair could have kicked herself. She should have bought a new cell phone to replace the one that was in her stolen purse. She desperately wanted to text Chuck to see what was going on. Her flight was several hours behind the Bass jet so it would be hours until she could see him again. After spending the last month together, she had grown used to Chuck's company and she missed him terribly.

She hoped that he and Jack were getting along. That man totally creeped her out, but he was Chuck's only living blood relative. Maybe Jack has changed, she thought as she looked out the window into the ocean far below. He was a man now, after all. Surely he wouldn't be the same egotistically cruel jerk she remembered from her childhood. At least she hoped not.

When she finally got back to the Waldorf penthouse, Blair called her father to let him know she returned safely home. Then she tried to call Chuck, but his cell phone was turned off. She left him a voice message saying she hoped he'd call her later.

The call never came.

She finally headed over to his suite at the palace, only to find that it had been vacated by

Jack some time ago. The hotel staff explained Mr. Bass had all of Chuck's things taken back to Bart's old apartment.

That's probably good for Chuck, Blair thought optimistically. It was better for him to live with family instead of alone in a hotel.

She headed out the door and took a cab over to the Bass penthouse. She was surprised to see Jack at the door as soon as she arrived. She figured the concierge service had called to inform him she was coming.

"Well Blair, how lovely of you to drop by. How was your flight?" Jack asked.

"It was fine thank-you," she replied politely. She looked a little closer at Jack and couldn't help but noticed what looked to be a black eye that was poorly concealed with make up. She grew worried, wondering what had happened on the flight over here. "May I please speak to Chuck?" she asked calmly. She did not want this man to know he made her nervous.

Jack laughed. "I'm afraid your dear Charles is out of commission for awhile," he told her. "He tied a pretty good one on during the flight back. I expect he'll havevrecuperated in a day or two."

Blair swallowed hard and tried to put on a brave face. "Thank-you," she said. "Please tell him I came by to see him when he's better."

"Well you're welcome to come in and hang out with me," Jack leered. "I'm sure we could find a lot to …. talk about."

Blair shuddered involuntarily at that. She had little red flags going off in her mind telling her to flee fast! "No thank-you," she replied. "I need to go and see Chuck's step sister now."

Blair left quickly feeling herself start to hyperventilate. She had never felt as unsafe as she did with Jack at that moment. She quickly needed to get away.

Blair made her way over to Serena's. She was near tears when she finally reached her friend and fiercely hugged her close.

"Well, it's good to see you too, B." Serena laughed as she hugged her friend back. She then held Blair away from her and noticed the tears pooling in her friend's eyes.

"What's the matter B?" she asked.

"I don't know what's wrong, Serena," she cried as tears began to roll down her face. "I went over to see Chuck and Jack told me he was sleeping off a bender."

"Well that sounds like Chuck, Blair, what's wrong with that?" Serena laughed. She held out her hand and rubbed Blair's arm to comfort her.

"He hasn't been drinking Serena. He's really settled down these last few weeks," Blair sobbed. "He hasn't been drinking like that in a long time."

"He was probably just partying with Jack," Serena guessed. "I don't think you have to worry about him. You're just jumping to conclusions."

"There's more Serena," Blair continued. "Jack has a black eye. He didn't have one yesterday when he came for Chuck. I'm worried that something happened."

"Again, I think you're jumping to conclusions, B. I'm sure Chuck wouldn't have hit his uncle," Serena laughed.

"I hope you're right, S," Blair said. "But Jack is a real creeper and I'm going to worry about Chuck until I see him."

**XOXO**

Quite a bit later that evening, Blair left Serena's and headed home to prepare for bed. She was exhausted. She had just crawled under the covers when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. When she told whoever it was to come in, Chuck entered and immediately took her in his arms and held her close to him on the bed.

"Chuck," she said. "What is it? What's the matter?" She pulled away from him and gasped in horror when she saw the bruises on his face.

He sighed and held her close to him again. "I'm in trouble," he told her. "I have to find away to get away from Jack."

Chuck told Blair about the nightmare of a plane ride they'd shared coming back from France. He told her how they had argued and he he's been pushed to the point of hitting Jack. He explained how Jack had beaten him as a result, and that he proceeded to get drunk while Jack went at it with the flight attendants right in front of him. He didn't tell her about Jack's sexual comments about her or Lily as he didn't want to upset her. This was something he would deeply regret later.

She finally got him to settle down and then held him through the night, worried about what he was going to do if his lawyers couldn't help him.

**XOXO**

**A/N: **A little drama makes me appreciate the fluffy bits more, how about you? Sorry, but it's going to be a bit ugly for a bit for our couple. Next chapter up soon.

If you liked it, please review it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**A/N:** A bit shorter of a chapter…. Honestly, you may appreciate that by the end of it.

**XOXO**

Chuck avoided Jack for most of the next day. He made an appointment to see his lawyer who advised him to press charges against his uncle for assault. However, since Chuck had hit Jack first, he was warned that he may also find himself charged with assault. Chuck decided to hold off on pressing charges at this time.

The lawyer also advised Chuck that if his guardianship to Jack was legal, there was little he could do to change it. After his birthday in May, however, Chuck would be free from his uncle's influence. The lawyer advised Chuck to hold tight until the reading of the will. Things may change then, he told him.

The following day Chuck, Lily and Jack went together to hear Bart's last will and testament. Chuck brought Blair and Nate with him for support.

Chuck was blown away to hear that Bart had enough faith in him to name him as CEO of the entire company. He smirked at his uncle, who was notably pissed off. Jack had assumed he would be the one left to run things. Once Chuck turned eighteen, Jack would no longer be needed in New York and he would have to return back to Australia.

Although pleased to be seeing Jack get jack, Chuck understood his uncle's anger over Bart's decision. He was unsure if he was really ready to step into Bart's shoes himself. After all he was still a teenager. But he wanted to try. However since Jack was to be his guardian for another few months, Chuck decided to offer him a job in New York for the time being. Jack was so pissed off that he stormed out of the lawyer's office.

"I told you your father had faith in you," Blair beamed proudly.

"I sure hope he was right," Chuck said.

**XOXO**

Later on that evening, Jack called Blair to help arrange some sort of a party for his nephew to celebrate his new role in the company. He apologized to her for his actions earlier, explaining that he had felt let down by Bart. He now wanted to show his nephew that he supported him, and since Blair was his girlfriend, he would appreciate her support.

Although Blair was apprehensive about talking to the creeper, she agreed to meet with him to help plan the party. Chuck deserved it.

**XOXO**

But over the next day or so, Chuck became withdrawn once again. He was feeling overwhelmed at the huge responsibility that lay ahead of him. He started drinking again and even did a little cocaine to help take the edge off. He stayed away from both Blair and his uncle, claiming he needed both time and space to think. He began going through some of the documents that he needed for Bass Industries, finding it all confusing and intimidating.

Jack laughed at his nephew's stress. It fit nicely with his plans. He met with Blair and they finished up preparations for the party for Chuck. They decided to hold a surprise brunch for him the following day …New Years Eve day. Jack confessed to Blair that he was concerned about his nephew's recent withdrawal into isolation. He was afraid the stress of such a big a burden was becoming too much for him. He commented he hoped the party would help him.

Blair could only wonder if he was right.

The next day dawned bright and sunny. As noon approached, Chuck remained upstairs in the penthouse office, pouring over documents he was struggling to understand. He had begun hitting the scotch already and had done a line of cocaine that Jack had sent up earlier by some half clad slut (who had been hanging around the penthouse for days, catering to Jack's every wish). The mirror sat on the corner of his desk with another line set to go, should he want it.

Meanwhile downstairs the guests had begun to arrive for the brunch. Blair greeted people enthusiastically while she eagerly awaited the arrival of her boyfriend.

When a few of the more important board members of Bass Industries showed up, Jack asked Blair if she could take them up to meet Chuck who was hard at work already for the company. Blair eagerly accepted, and proudly had them follow her upstairs.

But everyone stood absolutely shocked to see Chuck preparing to snort another line of cocaine as he sat at his desk in the office. Beside him sat a glass of scotch, the already near empty bottle beside it. The half clad slut, who had brought in the cocaine earlier, brushed passed them in the doorway to see if Chuck needed anything else. She sneered at the gawkers in the doorway.

"Chuck!" Blair screeched, "What are you doing?" She was appalled to see what was going on before her very eyes.

"I'm sorry," Blair apologized to the shaken board members who were now making their retreat. "I don't…, I don't know what's happened to him!"

"It's obvious Bart made a huge mistake!" exclaimed one board member, the others nodding their heads in agreement. They soon exited the penthouse.

Jack looked thrilled. His plan had obviously been a success. The board members had been shocked and repulsed by Chuck, and Blair was obviously crushed. She stood off in a corner, trying to hide her tears. Jack walked over to her and placed an arm around her to console her, telling her Chuck was obviously struggling with having to shoulder such responsibility.

Chuck soon came down the stairs, obviously in distress himself. He stared in horror at the group of people before him who were obviously aware of what had just transpired.

"How could you, Chuck?" Blair asked him in disbelief.

He turned to look at her, his face falling as he saw his uncle standing with his arm draped across her shoulders. "You are not my wife!" Chuck yelled at her.

Blair was crushed. "You're right Chuck," she agreed. "I'm not your wife. I'm not sure what I am to you anymore. And for that matter, I don't know what you are to me, either." She grabbed her purse and headed out the door feeling devastated at everything that had just happened.

"What just happened here?" Chuck asked in disbelief as he took note of how fast their guests were vacating the penthouse due to the horribly personal scene they had just been witness to.

Jack turned to the dumbfounded young man before him. "Well Chuck, you just violated the morality clause in your contract as CEO of the company," he sneered. "I've already talked to the board, and I'm the one in charge now."

Chuck couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You set me up?" he asked.

"Of course I set you up, Chuck," Jack laughed. "It's a no-brainer. You honestly don't think I could stand by and let a hot headed little snot take control of a multi-billion dollar company now, do you?" He turned his back on Chuck and left the penthouse. He was going to go out and celebrate. It was going to be a great day, and if the rest of his plans worked, it would be an even better night!

**XOXO**

**A/N:** Sigh, I know that was brutal…. And yes, it is going to get worse for awhile. It must in order to get them to where they need to go.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Blair was crushed. She cried most of the way home in the cab wondering what had happened to Chuck. 'You are not my wife,' he had yelled at her. She hadn't implied that she was! She had done nothing to warrant such treatment from him. If anything she had supported and loved him for a long time.

She had thought they were through all of the bullshit. The drinking… the drugs….. the whores! She understood he was feeling pressured over his new title in Bart's company, but come on! He should have known better than to slide back into such self-destructive behavior. She spent the afternoon in bed, grieving for what she assumed was the end of their relationship.

**XOXO**

Chuck was trashed, so stoned and drunk that he couldn't walk straight. He had continued drinking and snorting cocaine all afternoon after the departure of his girlfriend and his uncle at brunch. He had spent the afternoon wallowing in his resurrected self loathing and pity. By late afternoon he finally just hauled his butt to his room and lay on his bed, waiting to pass out.

As he lay there, alone on his bed, he began to think. He had blown it…. all of it. Both his girl and his father's company were lost to him. His uncle- his _guardian_- and the only surviving blood relative he had, had screwed him over and left him with nothing.

And he knew he had hurt Blair. He hadn't meant to be so harsh with her, but her confronting him like that was humiliating. And he had already been upset as well as under the influence. Those things combined with a predominantly poor sense of impulse control\ had led to his cruel words to her. He was sure she hated him.

Finally exhausted from all of the stresses in his life, he finally surrendered to the fog that had been creeping up on him all afternoon. He passed out cold.

**XOXO**

Jack was enjoying the bright winter's day. He loved it when a plan fell into place. His nephew was so gullible and as predictable as his father had been. It had been simple to manipulate and set him up.

And the beauty of it was, he thought, was he had killed two birds with one stone. The board had turned on Chuck and he had put a rift between Chuck and Blair. Beautiful! If the rest of his plan worked, he was sure Chuck would be pushed right over the edge.

**XOXO**

"Come on, B. You can't stay in bed! It's New Years Eve!" Serena cried. She had been worried about Blair after the brunch incident and had come over to comfort her friend.

But Blair insisted she stay put. "I have no desire to party, Serena," she confessed. "He hurt me. I am so disappointed in Chuck I can't even believe it myself."

"You need to talk to him, B," Serena insisted. "Find out where his head's at. You know something has to be going on for him to revert back to his old ways. You said so yourself, he's not like that anymore."

"I don't know if I can, Serena. He hurt me again."

"He was loaded, B. And surprised," Serena argued. "I know that doesn't make it right, but I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you. He loves you. He's supposed to be at the party at the Palace tonight, isn't he? Come to the party and talk to him. I'm sure you guys can work things out."

Blair managed a weak smile. "I suppose you're right, S," she agreed. "Will you help me get ready?"

**XOXO**

The Palace was in full swing when Serena and Blair arrived later that evening. Blair ordered a Margarita and began to scope the room out, looking for Chuck. But he was no where to be seen. She spent some time chatting with Serena and dancing with her friends on the crowed dance floor.

When she spied Jack a bit later, she went over to him and asked him where his nephew was.

"The last I saw of Charles," Jack laughed, "was when he was attempting to get up the stairs to his room. He's pretty loaded, Blair. I don't think he'll be coming tonight."

"Oh," Blair said in disappointment. "I should probably leave then. I really only came here to talk to Chuck."

"Don't be ridiculous, Blair," Jack said. "It's New Years, and your other friends are all here. I saw you dancing earlier and you were having fun. You should stay for awhile yet. I'll just get you another drink."

"Oh, alright. I'll stay for a little while longer," she agreed. "Then sure, I'll have another Margarita. Thanks, Jack."

"Anything for you," he smiled and then went to fetch her drink.

Serena came over to ask her friend what was going on.

"Chuck's loaded again and is probably passed out at home," she complained. "I'm really worried about him Serena."

"Are you going to go and see him later?" she asked Blair.

"I don't know if I should," Blair stated. "What's the point if he's trashed?"

"Well you could try to work things out," she suggested.

"I don't know, S. I'll finish my drink first and then decide." Blair commented.

"Decide what?" Jack asked as he held out the Margarita for Blair. She took it from him and took a large sip.

"On whether or not I should go over and see Chuck tonight." Blair answered.

"Well, your choice," Jack answered with a laugh. "But you know he's pretty out of it right?"

"I know," she replied. "But I need to find out what's going on with him. He's not like this anymore."

Blair stayed and danced with her friends for a little while. Jack came over to say goodnight to the young people, announcing he was going home. He asked Blair if she wanted to come along with him to see Chuck. Blair agreed.

He didn't say much to Blair on their way back to the Bass penthouse. She began to feel really sleepy in the quiet limo and tried to start up a conversation with Jack.

"So, Jack," she began. "What's it like living in Australia?"

"It's different," he told her. "The climate is better and there's a lot more space than here in New York. But it doesn't have the same social graces a place like this does. And the girls aren't nearly as gorgeous as you are."

He slid over to her and placed his hand on her knee.

She looked at it there for a moment and brushed it off. Her leg felt like rubber. She was starting to feel a little nauseous and somewhat dizzy. She questioned how much she had had to drink. She didn't think she should be as drunk as she was feeling right now.

"I think you and I are gonna have some fun tonight," Jack informed her. "He put his hand back on her knee."

"I need to see Chuck," she began. "But I'm so tired. I want to go home Jack. Can you take me home?"

"Yes Blair," Jack smirked as he slid his hand further up her thigh. "I'm going to take you home. You just put your head back and relax. I'll take good care of you, I promise."

Blair felt like she was floating, like her body had no substance to it. Jack's voice sounded almost like it was coming from a television set in another room. Kind of foggy and far away. She was so tired. She put her head back and closed her eyes, unaware of the hand that was now stroking her under her dress.

**XOXO**

Chuck awoke at about the same time as Jack was slipping the roofies into Blair's drink. He had a horrible hangover. He hadn't been that loaded in ages! He made his way into the bathroom and drank as much water as he dared, popped a couple of aspirin, brushed his teeth, and hit the shower.

As he washed away the woolies in his mind, he began to think over the events of the day. He had fucked up again. He wondered how much of it he could fix. He decided he needed to talk to Lily about Jack. She was the only adult he knew of besides his lawyer and his PI that he could talk to. Somehow he had to get rid of Jack.

Blair was another story. She had been so supportive of him during his father's death. She had proven she loved him through his worst. She stuck by him in Barcelona, even when he avoided her for days at a time. She had been generous in sharing her family with him over the Christmas holidays. Just last week he had been invited to be a part of them for as long as he wanted. He had never felt so included and valued in his life. That was only a week ago, but it felt like a lifetime. He needed to fix this. Blair was too important to him now to let it go.

His uncle had destroyed every good thing from his life. His father's legacy, his best friend and lover, his self esteem and sense of decency. Jack had to go before he could damage anything else.

He finished drying off and changed into a clean suit. He was supposed to be at the Palace. Perhaps he could salvage things with Blair tonight. He called his limo and soon headed out.

When he entered the ballroom of the Palace, he looked around, but didn't see Blair. He wondered if she had stayed home after he had hurt her earlier.

He saw Serena dancing with Penelope and Hazel on the crowded dance floor and he pushed his way through the crowd to talk to her.

"Where's Blair?" he asked as he pulled her aside.

"What's going on, Chuck?" Serena asked. "Why are you here? Jack said you were home passed out."

"Jack? Jack's here?" he asked. He started to feel nausea creeping up through his stomach. He looked around the ballroom again but didn't see his uncle. He still couldn't see Blair either. He was worried. "Serena, I have to know where she is. Is Blair here?" he asked again.

"No, Chuck, she went with Jack," Serena answered.

Chuck blanched. His stomach flipped. "Where was Jack taking her?" he asked, now in an obvious panic.

"They were going back to your father's penthouse," she replied. "Blair wanted to try and work out what happened earlier today. Why, what's the matter?"

"Oh my God," Chuck cried in despair. "I have to leave, Serena. Jack's going to hurt Blair!"

**XOXO**

**A/N**: is anybody worried at what might happen next?

If you liked it, please review it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**A/N: Warning: The rating has been changed to an M for this chapter. It is moderately graphic (not as much as my full M-rated stuff…but it may be disturbing for some). **

Jack led Blair through the penthouse and began to head up the stairs. She was wobbly on her rubber legs and he held her up, one arm gripping her around the waist to support her.

"Chuck?" Blair mumbled. "Where's Chuck?"

"Shhh," Jack told her. "We don't want to wake him."

He led her into his room and had her sit down on the bed. Then he went and closed the bedroom door.

Blair flopped over on the bed and closed her eyes. She couldn't sit up. She felt like Jello and she was incredibly tired. She just wanted to sleep.

Jack smirked and began to undress himself. This was going to be fun, he thought.

He lifted Blair's legs which were still dangling over the edge, and slid them onto the bed.

"Hmmmmph," she moaned. "Where's Chuck?"

Jack got into bed and slid over beside her. He turned her over slightly just enough so he could unzip her dress. He settled her back and began to slide the garment off of her. He slipped her slip down past her shoulders and slid it under her bum to get it off.

Reaching behind her, he undid and removed her bra, his breath hitching when he saw the soft curve of her chest. He slid her panties off and sat back to take it all in.

She was more beautiful than he imagined. "Fuck!" he stated, "You are one gorgeous piece of ass!"

He let his hands caress her for a moment and then set his mouth on her, tasting as he went along.

"That stupid little prick doesn't even know what he has, does he, Blair?" Jack asked, knowing full well Blair was pretty well incoherent. "You are indeed delicious!"

"Jack?" Blair asked. "I want Chuck. Where's Chuck?"

"He's not here, kitten," Jack cooed. "It's just you and me. It's our party." He slid up her body, stopping to suckle at her nipples before moving his mouth up to hers. He began to kiss her, her drugged lips parting easily for him.

"No," Blair protested groggily, attempting to roll her head away from Jack and his mouth. "I want Chuck."

Jack lowered his hands to gently spread her legs apart. He began to play with her, pleased that her body was responding to his touch.

"No!" Blair cried weakly again. "Stop! I want Chuck."

"No Chuck," Jack laughed. "You're going to love this, Blair. The ladies say I'm the best. I promise this will be good." He lifted her knees until she spread before him. He positioned himself and began to rape her.

"Please stop!" Blair cried. Blair was somewhat aware of what was going on. She knew this wasn't Chuck and she knew she wanted Jack to stop. She tried to move out from under him, but had no real control of her body. She tried to fight him off, but under her drugged condition, she hadn't the control or the strength to do it.

**XOXO **

"Go faster!" Chuck yelled at the limo driver.

He was almost in a complete state of panic. He hoped Blair would have already left the penthouse after finding him gone. But something in the pit of his stomach told him she was in danger and he needed to get there fast.

"I'm sure she's fine," Chuck, Serena soothed. But Chuck couldn't be consoled.

Chuck barely let the car pull up to the curb in front of the building, when he baled out, flying into the building as fast as he was capable. It seemed to take the elevator forever to reach the ground floor.

"Come on! Come on!" he yelled as he hit the button repeatedly.

"Chuck you need to settle down," Serena said. She noted the concierge looking at him cautiously.

The ride up to the top floor was even more painful. Burton Cummings music was playing all the way up. If Chuck could have, he'd have ripped the speakers right out of the side of the elevator wall.

"Fuck!" he yelled and he slammed his fist into the side of the elevator, not able to stand another line of the song.

"Chuck!" Serena yelled. "Stop!"

But he ignored her.

When they finally reached the top floor, Chuck ran into the penthouse. He looked in the living area, but they weren't there. He ran upstairs into his room. There was no one there, either.

He was stumped. The suite was quiet. He went back out into the hall and scratched his head in confusion. WTF?

"See," Serena stated. "She isn't even here."

They turned to head downstairs when he heard the sound.

A soft whimpering was coming from behind Jack's door. He quietly walked over to it, motioning for Serena to follow. He held his finger up to his lips for her to be quiet. They stopped and listened.

"No, stop! Please, stop!" Blair begged in a mumbled voice through her tears. "You're hurting me! Please! I want Chuck!" she cried.

Chuck heard her mumbled cries and barged into the room, Serena following behind him.

"Blair!" yelled Serena.

Chuck ran to the bed and pulled his uncle off of her. "Get off of her you son of a bitch!" he yelled. He began to slam his fist into Jack's face, punching him over and over again. When Jack finally fell to the ground, Chuck jumped on him to continued his assault, unable to stop.

"Chuck, stop!" Serena yelled.

But Chuck didn't seem capable of it. He had so much anger and frustration in him that he just couldn't. He continued to batter his uncle's already disfigured face.

Serena got off of the bed where she was attempting to bring Blair back to the land of the living. She ran over to Chuck and pulled him off of a fairly mangled Jack.

"I'll kill him, Serena. Let me at him! He's never going to fuck with us again!" Chuck yelled.

"Chuck you have to stop," Serena pleaded. "If you kill him you'll go to prison. And Blair is going to need you after this."

At the mention of her name, Chuck stopped struggling from his step sister's grasp. He shouted, "Blair!" finally remembering that she was in the room with them.

He ran to the bed and pulled her into his arms. She couldn't sit up, but flopped back over onto the mattress.

"Chuck?" Blair mumbled. "Please, I want Chuck."

Chuck looked at Serena in horror. "What's wrong with her?" he asked in alarm.

"I think she's been drugged, Chuck," Serena admitted, through her tears. "We need to get her to the hospital. She's been raped."

Chuck leaned in and gently wrapped her in his arms. "It's going to be ok, baby," he cried as he tried to sooth her. "I'm here now."

He looked over at Serena with the tears now streaming down his face. And then he looked at Jack who was attempting to get back up onto his feet. Chuck got up off the bed and kicked Jack in the ribs, causing him to fall back down. He climbed over top of his uncle and pinned him to the ground.

"Call the police, Serena," Chuck told her through gritted teeth. "Have them send an ambulance too." He looked at Jack's body on the floor of the bedroom. It was taking all he had, not to wail on his uncle again. "And tell them to hurry," he added. "…. before I kill this sack of shit!"

**XOXO**

**A/N:** Sorry guys, In the show I could never understand why Blair slept with Jack. I always figured he'd have had to drug her or get her totally shit -faced. So in my version, this is what happened...Now, unless you absolutely hate me, please review!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Blair spent a few hours in the hospital and was sent home after her doctors had done some blood work and used a rape kit on her. They told Serena and Chuck to expect her to be ill and extremely tired for a few days. The police had taken both Chuck's and Serena's statements and told them they would come and question Blair in a few days time. As soon as they were cleared to, they took her home. Chuck told Serena he would stay with her. He never wanted to let her out of his sight again after what had happened last night.

Chuck woke Dorota up and told her what had happened to Blair. Dorota was so upset she spouted off in Polish for about five minutes, most likely swearing at Jack, before he could get her to settle down. Jack's lucky it was me who attacked him and not Dorota, he thought. He was sure she would have killed him!

Dorota insisted they bathe her before they put her to bed. Miss Blair would undoubtedly want all of Mr. Jack off of her, she told him. Chuck knew she was right.

They ran her a bath and Chuck stripped down to his boxers to get into the tub with her. He got in the water first and helped Dorota guide Blair in. She was still pretty incoherent and had little body control.

Blair protested initially and tried to struggle free until she heard Chuck's calming voice behind her. He told her she was safe and they were going to clean all of Jack off of her. He held her gently against his chest while Dorota washed her, just as she had when Blair was still a child, softly singing a familiar old Polish song to her. Blair relaxed as they washed away what they could of Jack.

They hauled her out of the tub and Chuck held her while Dorota dried, and then slipped a clean nightgown onto her. Chuck dried himself off and then changed into a clean pair of men's boxer's which Dorota had found for him somewhere.

Once Blair was nestled in her bed, Dorota hugged Chuck and they both had a good cry. Chuck promised Dorota he would keep watch over Blair for the rest of the night. Dorota finally went back to bed, leaving the two of them alone.

Blair moaned in protest when Chuck climbed into bed with her, but settled once she heard his voice tell her again that it was him, and she was safe. He curled up around her and burrowed his face into her curls, against her neck. But he couldn't sleep.

He replayed the day over and over again in his head, blaming himself for everything that had happened to her.

If he hadn't been snorting cocaine and drinking when Blair brought the board members up,…If he hadn't snapped at her when he came downstairs,… If he hadn't gotten so loaded in the afternoon and passed out,….. If he hadn't gone to the Palace to look for her,… if, ….if,….. if,…-

He knew that Jack had set this entire situation up, and he had been stupid enough to fall into Jack's plans. Unfortunately for Blair, she was the one who had to suffer because of it. It made him absolutely sick.

Chuck also realised he would need a new guardian. Tomorrow he would call Lily and somehow get a hold of his lawyer too. Once Jack was out of the hospital he would likely be charged with rape and be sent to jail. But, with the extent of his injuries, that wouldn't be for awhile yet.

Chuck had nearly pulverised him! Jack's face was basically shattered. He would need massive reconstructive surgery to ever look anything like himself again. One of his eyes, they suspected, would never see again. He had several broken ribs and his wrist too. It seems that in his fury, Chuck had done quite a bit of damage to his uncle.

Just thinking about Jack brought Chuck's blood pressure up. He felt his blood begin to pound in his ears, his breathing increased and his whole body tightened up. He thought about what Jack had done to the person he loved more than he had ever loved anything on earth, and it made him boil again.

Although mostly out of it still, Blair sensed Chuck's discomfort. She woke up sensing something disturbing was him. His distress brought her around a little.

"Chuck," she asked groggily. "Are you ok?"

Her voice snapped him out of it and he cuddled her against him, placing a soft kiss on her neck. "It's ok, Blair. Please go back to sleep. Everything is going to be alright," he promised. Once again he hoped he was right. He concentrated hard on staying calm. Finally, his body relaxed and he settled down. Soon he fell asleep.

**XOXOX**

The next morning Blair woke up violently ill. Chuck barely got her to the bathroom in time before she began throwing up. She was dizzy and confused as to what was going on with her. She didn't appear to remember much about the night before, including what had happened with Jack. She felt like she had a terrible virus. It was almost impossible for her to keep her eyes open and she still felt like her body wasn't really there. But the one thing that she was aware of, however, was Chuck's presence.

He wouldn't leave her side for a minute. He was more than content to just hold her while she slept and would help her up to use the bathroom when she awoke.

"Chuck, I don't want you to get sick," she told him weakly after he'd helped her up to use the bathroom that afternoon. He had just brought her back to her bed and had her propped up on some pillows, trying to get her to drink some weak tea that Dorota had brought in earlier.

"What do you mean?" Chuck asked.

"This flu," she commented. "I don't want you to get it too."

He cringed at her words, not sure how much to tell her. "I'll be fine, Blair," he said. "You don't have the flu."

"Then why am I so sick, Chuck?" she asked.

"The doctor said you'll be sick for a couple of days, but you're going to be fine," he explained.

"What's the matter with me?" she asked in confusion.

"What do you remember about last night?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure," she admitted groggily. "Serena told me I should come to the club so I could talk to you." She was quiet for a moment, struggling to remember. "Oh, Chuck," she cried. "I'm so sorry I upset you earlier. I know you're under a lot of pressure with the company."

He swallowed a lump in his throat at her words. She was worried about him!

"Blair, it's ok," he told her. "I'm the one who needs to apologise for that. I was upset and I snapped at you. I know you were really trying to be supportive. I didn't mean to hurt you. I fucked up again."

He helped her to lie back down on the bed, realising she was struggling to sit up.

"It's just when you yelled that I wasn't your wife, you made it sound like the dirtiest word ever," she admitted groggily. "It hurt me."

"I'm so sorry," he apologised as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "I love you so much. I didn't want to hurt you." Once more he began to cry a little, thinking again how his actions that afternoon had led to her being drugged and raped by Jack later.

"It's ok, Chuck," she whispered. "Don't cry. I love you too. I want to sleep for a little while, ok?"

"Ok, baby," he whispered back, placing a little kiss just under her ear. "Just close your eyes. I'll stay here with you, ok?" He realised he hadn't answered her question about why she was sick. Better to wait, he thought, knowing how damaging the news would likely be to her.

"Ok, Chuck," she said as she drifted off once more.

A little later on, Dorota came into the room and insisted Chuck leave Blair for awhile. "I stay with Miss Blair, Mr. Chuck," she told him. "You go eat. There is food in kitchen for you. Maybe make call to Mrs Lily and Miss. Serena," she suggested. She patted Chuck on the shoulder as he reluctantly got out of Blair's bed and slipped on the robe she had brought him. "You a good boy, Mr. Chuck," she told him.

Chuck nodded his head and left her room, fighting tears that were threatening to surface again. He stopped to take the cell phone out of his pants that were neatly folded on Blair's dresser. He wanted to call Lily and his lawyer. It was time to get Jack out of their lives once and for all.

**XOXO**

**A/N:** FYI: The effects of Rohypnol can stick around for days and include flu like symptoms and extreme tiredness and a feeling like you aren't real with your own body…. Anyways, If you liked it, please review it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"So, let me get this straight," Chuck said to his step mother in disbelief. "Bart was going to adopt Serena and Eric, and you were going to adopt me?"

"That's right, Charles," Lily said to Chuck with a nod and a kind smile. "Despite what happened between your father and I, we were determined to make things work as a family. The papers were signed just before the accident. They only needed to be signed by you three children to become official."

Chuck looked at his lawyer for confirmation. "So that means if I sign them, that Lily becomes my legal mother and Jack is no longer my guardian?"

"That is correct, Mr Bass," the layer agreed. "It also means that your Uncle Jack no longer sits representing your interest in Bass industries. That now becomes your mother's responsibility once you turn eighteen and she and the board reinstate you.

"What if I never want it back?" he asked.

"Want what back, Charles?" Lily asked in disbelief. "Your rightful position as CEO of Bass Industries?"

"Yes," he replied. "What if I don't want it back again? It was too much. I didn't understand any of it. I'll only be an embarrassment to the company again." Chuck already felt the stress and anxiety crawling back into him just thinking about it.

"Charles, I know that Jack set you up from the beginning to fail," Lily explained. "You weren't prepared for anything that he pushed your way. You needed to transition in slowly, and you needed someone to show you the ropes. It would take anyone years to do what Jack gave you to manage. He knew it was too much for you." Lily walked over to him and placed her arms around him in a comforting hug.

"I think Lily is right, Charles," the lawyer agreed. "It will take years of training to get you up to Bart's speed. Lily can work with you and make sure you are getting the training and support you need to take full responsibility for the company when you're ready."

"And I would advise you to take that opportunity to finish your education first," he continued. "I'm sure your father would have wanted you to complete university first before working full time at Bass. It would be the smart thing to do," he advised.

"He's right," Lily agreed. "Bart wanted you to go into post secondary studies, Charles. But I want this to be your decision. We can work with you while you attend school and get you prepped for it when you're a bit older. But only if you want us too."

"And if I don't?" he asked.

"And if you don't, then on your eighteenth birthday, you can sign it away," Lily told him. "It's your company now, Charles. You can do with it what you want. But you have until your eighteenth birthday to think about that. In the mean time, what do you want to do about the adoption?"

"I'll sign the papers," Chuck agreed, taking the pen that was being offered by his lawyer. "We need to get rid of Jack."

He signed the documents and let out a huge sigh of relief. He couldn't believe it was over. "Thanks, again, Lily." He told her as he reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"You're welcome, Charles. You're legally family now. "

Chuck saw Lily and his lawyer out of the Waldorf penthouse and quickly returned upstairs to Blair's room. Dorota was pleased to see him.

"Everything ok, Mr Chuck?" she asked.

"Yes, Dorota, everything is fine. Thank-you," he replied with a smile.

"Good!" she exclaimed and then continued. "Miss Blair ate some soup with a bit of help. But she make big mess. Now I need you help me get Miss Blair back into bathtub for washing, and I can change bed sheets," she requested.

He agreed. Chuck woke Blair up after Dorota began to fill the tub for her. He helped her get to the bathroom and began to undress her. This time he didn't get into the tub with her, but got Dorota to help him get her in there alone. Once she was safely leaning back in the water, Dorota went to change her sheets. Chuck gently began to wash her. This time Blair didn't struggle. She seemed to appreciate the care she was getting from him.

When they got her back into bed, Chuck stripped down again and climbed in behind her, pulling her back into the curve of his belly.

"Chuck," Blair began. "You didn't tell me what happened to me. Why am I so sick," she asked.

"Last night at the Palace," Chuck began carefully. "You were drugged."

"What do you mean I was drugged?" she asked in confusion.

"Someone put Roofies in your drink," he continued.

"What?" she asked, beginning to feel confused. She didn't understand. "Wasn't I with Serena?"

"Yes, you were with Serena," Chuck admitted. "…. And Jack," he added.

"Well then how?" she asked.

"Jack put the Roofies in your drink, Blair," he finally admitted.

"But why would he do that, Chuck?" she asked him trying to turn around and look at him.

He helped her turn her body so she could see him. He swallowed hard noting the confusion and distress in her eyes. He felt his own eyes begin to well up, and he tried hard to keep his composure. She doesn't know, but she wonders, he suspected. This was not going to be easy.

"Why Chuck? Answer me. Why would he do that?" she asked again in alarm.

He reached out to stroke her cheek and he leaned into her, resting his forehead against hers. He felt a tear breech its hold and slide down his face.

"So he could rape you," he whispered.

Blair pulled away from him as fast as her rubbery head would allow, and looked at him in despair.

"Jack wanted to rape me?" she asked in disbelief. She noted the tears starting to fall down Chucks face and she reached out to wipe them.

"Chuck?" she asked again.

He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes tight. "He did rape you," he answered and pulled her back in to where he could wrap his arms around her tightly. "He took you to my father's penthouse and he raped you," he choked.

"I'm so sorry, Blair," he cried. "But it was too late. By the time I got to the Palace, you had already gone with him. Serena and I got to the penthouse as fast as we could, but we didn't get there in time to stop him. It was just too late." He held her tight and silently sobbed his regret.

Blair didn't know quite what to say. She was still so foggy and confused, she didn't know what to make of it. She thought she had heard him tell her that Jack had raped her, but that had to be a mistake.

"No, Chuck. I don't think so. I'm ok, just a little sick," she told him. She put her wobbly arm over him him and tried to caress him.

"It's ok, Blair. The drugs are making you feel sick and all fuzzy," he explained. "That's normal. You can't remember what happened. Maybe it's better that way." He leaned down and kissed her on the brow.

"He won't ever touch you again," Chuck promised. "We'll make sure he goes to jail for what he did."

A little of what Chuck was saying was starting to sink in a bit. It was still really confusing. "I can't believe he tried to hurt me, Chuck," she told him in disbelief. "Or you. He's your family. Why would he do that to us?"

"Because he hates me, Blair," Chuck replied. "He hates me."

Blair leaned in and kissed Chuck as good as she could on his chest, just over his heart. "I'm sorry Chuck. I love you," she said. She was beginning to fall asleep again.

"I know you love me," he admitted and held her a bit tighter. "I love you too, Blair."

He just wished it was over.

**XOXO**

The next few days were similar for her. Blair recalled nothing of New Year's Eve. On the fifth day after the incident had happened, the police showed up at the penthouse wanting her statement. They insisted Chuck wait in a different room while they question her. He was out of his mind with worry and fear as they questioned her, wondering how upset she was going to be when they finished.

Blair could only give them a few little details about anything that happened that day, such as the incident at brunch and that she had been at the Palace with Serena and Jack earlier in the evening. She remembered she had only drunk a couple of martinis. She was sure she had not been drunk.

The police confirmed for her that her blood tests showed positive for Rohypnol and that Jack's semen was present in the smear completed by her doctors at the hospital.

Once confirmed, the reality of the situation hit Blair hard. Not that she hadn't believed Chuck before, but it was somehow more real now that the police were questioning her. They informed her that Serena had told them she had seen Jack give her the second Martini. Serena had also told them that Blair had agreed to go with Jack back to the penthouse in order to talk to her boyfriend, who she'd had a fight with earlier. The police told her that Serena and Chuck had stated they could hear her telling Jack to stop from behind his bedroom door, and when they went in, they both witnessed Jack having intercourse with her.

She couldn't remember, but started to cry at the information they were giving her. What a horrible thing to have happen to her and to Chuck, she thought.

"So, is that correct then, Miss Waldorf?" the policeman asked her. "You do not remember any of these, or any other details about your assault?"

"Yes, that's correct," Blair agreed through her tears. "I'm sorry, but I just can't remember anything else. But I know I wouldn't have agreed to have sex with Jack. Ever. The man disgusts me."

Even though you don't remember," the police explained to Blair, "we still have enough evidence with the test results and the statements from your friend and boyfriend. If you choose to press charges on him, Jack Bass will be charged with several things including giving Rohypnol to someone in order to commit a sex crime on them, unlawful confinement, and sexual assault. There will be a trial and we'll try to send him to prison for a long, long time, Miss Waldorf. The courts do not think kindly of people who Roofie another person to have sex with them. It's a real problem in this country these days."

Blair was stumped. She hadn't thought about a trial. Her shame would be made public, blasted in every Newspaper in the city along with gossip girl and the celebrity rags. The possibility of this frightened her. It was too overwhelming.

"And what happens if I don't press charges?" she asked, barely above a whisper..

The policeman shook his head at her and sighed. "Then Jack Bass goes free tomorrow."

**XOXO**

**A/N: **Another one done. If you liked it, please review it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"What do you mean you're not sure, Blair?" Chuck asked in disbelief after the police had gone. "How can you even consider not charging him?"

"I'm sorry Chuck, but I don't want this posted all over the news," Blair explained sorrowfully. "I'm embarrassed, ok? This is something personal that I don't want sharing with anyone, especially with the media. And because I'm over eighteen, they will release my name in the news. Everyone will know!"

"But he'll go free, Blair!" Chuck exclaimed. He was absolutely flabbergasted. "You can't just let him go free!" He could not believe she was seriously thinking about not pressing charges. He remembered her pitiful cries behind Jack's door. He remembered Jack pounding himself into her lifeless body on his bed. He remembered her struggling all week from the effects of the drugs. He wanted to shake her until she understood how important this was. It made him sick, but he knew he had to keep it together for her.

"I know he'll go free, Chuck," she yelled at him. "Don't you think I know that? I'm not stupid." She began to shake and tears rolled down her face. She buried her face in her hands.

Chuck walked over to her and took her into his arms. He rocked her gently against him and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, Blair. Of course you're not stupid. I just don't want him to hurt anyone ever again."

"I'm so scared, Chuck," she cried into his chest. "I don't think I can go through anymore public scrutiny. I don't know what to do."

"I'll be with you the whole way, Blair," he encouraged. "And so will Serena. We won't make you do this alone, I promise."

"I just don't want to think about it anymore, ok? Please?" she begged as she pulled away from him. She wiped her tears and held her head high. "Now, you promised me you'd take me out for dinner today. Are we still on, or do I need to find another date?"

He nodded his head sadly. "Of course we're still on," he said. He leaned over to her and kissed her on the forehead.

After supper they came back to the Waldorf penthouse and settled in Blair's room to watch movies. Dorota was more than happy to have Chuck stay over. She liked that he protected and comforted her Miss Blair. He was far more receptive to helping her than her own parents had been.

They had been informed of the incident just after New Years, but neither could take the time out of their busy careers to come back from Europe to be there for her. They assumed that Dorota could help her the most, so they kept things as they were.

In reality, neither parent wanted to deal with the thought of their daughter being sexually assaulted. Only Roman had volunteered to come to New York to be with her, but when he found out Chuck was staying with her, he accepted that she was in more than capable hands. Chuck had thanked him for his confidence in him, but he knew he didn't deserve it. After all, the incident only happened because of him.

The two cuddled up under Blair's covers and watched the movie. Blair giggled and chatted on about the plot as it unfolded. Chuck sat quietly, his thoughts on more important things then what was happening in some movie.

He was so shaken about Blair's reluctance to press charges that he couldn't focus on anything else. His mind was in overdrive as to what else he could do to keep Jack away from them. He could hire an assassin. His PI was affiliated with all types of dark and dangerous characters willing to perform any number of tasks, should he need them done. But that would make him a murderer, and as much as he hated his uncle, he didn't want blood on his hands.

He had already spoken to Lily about pulling Jack's position as CEO in the Australia branch of Bass Industries, and security there had been alerted to keep Jack off the premises. All other ties to Bass Industries were now safely out of his reach.

Jack's possessions had also been removed from Bart's penthouse. It had been re-keyed and was now on the market for sale. Chuck never wanted to step foot in the place again. He would move back to Lily's until the end of high school and then would likely purchase himself something once he decided what to do after that.

But he was stressed out about what to do about Jack. He knew his uncle. He knew it was in Jack's nature to retaliate. He knew Jack would come after them again. This time it would be worse, he had nothing left to lose.

**XOXO**

The next day Blair insisted they do some back to school shopping before heading back to classes in a couple of days. It was their last semester in high school and the first time they would be presenting themselves in public as a couple. She wanted to make sure they looked just right.

Blair insisted that life go on as it had before Jack. She didn't remember what had happened on New Years and she was going to pretend that nothing did. Chuck was discouraged, but knew he couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.

The two spent the afternoon at all of Blair's favourite shops until they were both too shopped out to do any more. They decided to head over to Lily's house where they could visit with his new family. Serena had invited Blair overnight and Chick wanted to spend some time reorganising his room before they started back to school.

Chuck also wanted Serena to talk some sense into Blair about her pressing charges against Jack. He was aware that Jack had been released from the hospital earlier that day and was officially at large. He was paying his PI good money to keep tabs on him, not trusting Jack to keep his distance as the police had recommended he do.

But Blair blew Serena off too. She just didn't want to talk about it. The two girls finally settled after giving each other manicures and doing each other's hair. Blair was exhausted and fell asleep early on Serena's bed.

Chuck lay awake in his own bed that night, missing the closeness of Blair. He couldn't sleep so he got up and got himself a drink. He was having a hard time dealing with this whole Jack issue and was now sitting at his window, looking out at the city below, nursing his glass of scotch. He was just thinking about turning in when he heard her scream.

Chuck ran into Serena's room to see what was going on. Serena sat holding a near hysterical Blair, who had been jolted awake by nightmares. She was inconsolable.

Chuck rushed over and lifted her into his arms, holding her close and repeating it was alright, he had her now, just as he had done after her assault. Blair soon began to settle in his arms and she cried into his chest.

Chuck took her back into his room and lay down with her on the bed, tightly holding her next to him.

After a few minutes, Blair turned to face Chuck and confessed. "I saw him in my dream, Chuck. He wouldn't let me go. I called and called for you, but you didn't come. He had me and he,….. he,…. he kept on touching me. When I started to scream, I woke up. It was so real Chuck," she cried.

"It's ok, Blair," he soothed. "You're probably starting to remember just like the doctor said you might. But it was a dream. You're here now and you're safe with me," he told her.

"I need to forget, Chuck," she cried softly into his chest in barely more than a whisper. "I don't want to remember his hands on me. Can you help me forget?"

"What do you need me to do?" He asked, unsure of what else he could possibly do to help her.

"I want to feel you Chuck," she explained as she caressed the side of his face. He looked at her in confusion, not quite sure knowing what she wanted. Her tear filled eyes met and held his gaze. "Please, Chuck. I need to feel you," she stated again. "…..On me. In me. I need you to erase him from me. Please," she begged. "Make love to me."

"I,… I'm not sure that such a good idea, Blair," he admitted. "Are you sure about this?"

She bit her lip and looked down from him. "Don't you want me, Chuck?" she asked as more tears threatened to fall.

He lifted her chin and forced her eyes to look at him again. "Of course I want you, Blair," he told her. "I always want you. I'm just afraid it's too soon. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to scare you." He confessed.

"It won't scare me, Chuck. I promise," she said as more tears breeched their hold. "I need you to help me get him away from me."

He took her face in his hands and he pulled her in, placing the tenderest kiss possible on her mouth. "I love you," he told her.

She reached her hands behind his head and pulled him even closer, her mouth meeting his again. There was urgency in her kiss, a passion unlike any other that he'd seen in her before.

He responded in turn, passion meeting passion. He let her take control, knowing she needed it. Like that night in Barcelona not so long ago, this was about connection. He understood her need, and he gave as much of himself to her as he could.

Blair let her senses guide her and she consumed Chuck, needing all of him to make her feel whole again. When he felt her begin to unravel, he rolled her over and took the final control, bringing them both to a firey finale. She screamed his name, waking her sleeping best friend down the hall.

Chuck held her tight, gently kissing her neck and throat while they both panted in exhaustion. Blair caressed his back, savouring the sensation of him still inside of her. He finally rolled them onto their sides, still locked in embrace.

"Thank-you," she whispered to him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he whispered back, cradling her to his chest. He closed his eyes and kissed her on the brow. Soon they were both fast asleep.

The next morning they were awoken by yelling coming from downstairs. Chuck jumped out of bed and slid on some pants. He ran down the hall and downstairs as fast as he could, recognising the yelling voice. Jack!

**XOXO**

**A/N: **If you liked it, please review it.

More coming in a day, or two, or three... I will be concentrating on Gunnin after the show tomorrow night (I can't wait for that secret of Eva's to come out! OMG it's going to be good!)**  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

When Chuck entered the hallway he saw Jack holding Lily by the neck against the wall.

"Where is he, you bitch?" Jack yelled. "You had no right having him sign those papers, he's my nephew!"

"Let her go, Jack!" Chuck yelled at him. He grabbed Jack by the shoulder and turned him around to face him. When Lily moved away from the wall, Chuck slammed his uncle against it. "What do you want, you stinking sac of shit?"

Jack attempted to grin at Chuck. This was difficult to do as his face was still full of stitches. He swiftly brought his knee up and kneed Chuck in the balls.

Chuck doubled over and dropped like a rock. Jack jumped on him and began to pound on him.

By this time Lily was hysterical and yelling for help.

Both Serena and Blair flew into the hallway and froze in their tracks. Blair watched in horror as Jack pounded on Chuck. Without thinking she jumped on Jack's back and began clawing at him to get him off Chuck.

Jack stopped beating Chuck and tried to get the wildcat off of his back. Blair was ripping his face to shreds. He finally managed to grab her by the hair and fling her to the ground.

"You stupid little slut!" he yelled at her. He reached his hands up to his face, noticing blood pouring from it. He moved and raised his fist to strike her when he felt something crack him on the head. He dropped like a rock. Lily had hit him with a large crystal vase, knocking him out cold.

Chuck got to his feet and went quickly to Blair, who was bawling her eyes out. She wrapped her arms around Chuck and held him close.

"Are you Ok, Chuck?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he grimaced, trying to ignore the pain in his crotch. "….Thanks to you and Lily. What just happened here?" he asked his startled adoptive mother.

"Well, I answered the door not knowing it was him," Lily began. "He forced his way in and started demanding I go and get you. Then he started yelling at me about the adoption. He grabbed me and pinned me against the wall in the hall. The next thing I knew, Charles had pulled him off of me and slammed Jack into the wall. Thank–you. Charles," she acknowledged. "I don't know what he would have done if you hadn't stopped him when you did."

Serena had her cell phone out and called the police. "They'll be here in a minute," she told them.

"This is my fault," Blair cried.

"What?" all three of them stated and looked at her in disbelief.

"If I had pressed charges on him, none of this would have happened. I'm sorry, you were right, Chuck. I should have done it before they released him from the hospital."

"It's not your fault, Blair," Chuck sighed. "It's mine. If I hadn't freaked out over my father's business and started drinking and doing cocaine again, Jack wouldn't have ever touched you in the first place. So don't blame yourself. This was about Jack and me. And because I didn't deal with it properly in the first place, all of this happened." He shook his head and turned away in self disgust.

Blair put her arm out and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Don't you dare run away again, Chuck Bass," she asserted. "What Jack did to me was not your fault, so don't even think of blaming yourself. It's not your fault he's a psychopath."

"The only fault any of this is, is Jack's," Lily said. "So both of you need to stop blaming yourselves now. Understand? Jack set this whole thing up. It was always his fault."

They heard a knock on the door and the police soon entered the hallway. Blair recognised the one police officer from her questioning a few days before. Once Jack had been removed by ambulance again, Bair pulled the officer aside.

"Is it too late for me to press charges on him?" She asked.

"Not at all," the officer confirmed for her.

"Good!" she stated. "I want to press charges."

**XOXO**

It took the rest of the day with a bag of frozen peas on his boys for Chuck to lose the pain in his crotch. Jack had been taken to the hospital again with a concussion from where Lily had beaned him in the head with her best crystal vase. He also had to have half of the stitches in his face redone as well as several more added after Blair had clawed the shit out of him.

From the hospital he was going to be taken to a holding cell where he would await trial for raping Blair as well as for assault and battery on both Lily and Chuck. He would likely go to prison for a long, long time.

With Jack out of their way Chuck and Blair began to prepare for going back to school. Chuck was extremely nervous, but had Blair to lean on when he was feeling stressed.

He, in turn, helped her to deal with her rape. When Chuck was with her, Blair felt safe. She agreed to start seeing her psychologist again to deal with the rape on the condition that Chuck start to see one too. He needed to start dealing with his childhood issues, the death of his father and Jack.

With school starting up again right away, Chuck was concerned to leave Blair alone at night knowing she was having nightmares. He wasn't sure how Lily would take him wanting to move in with her for awhile.

"Charles, you're almost eighteen," Lily reminded him. "You don't need my permission to stay at Blair's. If you want to stay there for awhile, I understand."

"Thanks, Lily," Chuck said. "I'm just so new to this family thing and I don't want to push my luck."

Lily laughed. "Well it's not like you're twelve, Charles. I know you and Blair are intimate."

"Oh, mom, by the way," Serena added as she came into the kitchen and overheard their conversation. "He was having sex at that age too!"

"Ok, that was something I didn't need to know, Serena," Lily said in disgust.

"Mind your own business, sis," Chuck growled at her. "You're just jealous that Blair has a real boyfriend that cares about her and you have no one right now."

"I'm not jealous, Chuck," Serena insisted. "But since you are a member of this family too now, things should be fair. And I don't get half of the privileges you do. You can pretty well do whatever you want!" she gloated. "That's not fair!"

"That's because Charles has pretty well been independent for years, Serena," Lily justified. "He's made most of his own decisions since Bart gave him his own suite at the Palace. So I'm not going to tell him he can't stay at Blair's if he wants. It's obvious they're in love and he cares about her. Besides, she seems to bring out the best of him."

Chuck gave Lily a big hug and pecked her on the cheek. "You're right, Lily. Blair does bring out the best in me. And now, if you ladies will excuse me, I have a date with my girl."

He smirked at Serena, who huffed at him in passing, and headed out the door.

The following day Chuck had his limo pick the two of them up at Blair's and take them to school.

The news of Jack and the rape had been leaked to the public and was now spreading like wildfire around the city. They had paparazzi follow them to the school grounds that morning.

Blair attempted to hold her head high and ignore the stares and comments from her peers. But inside she was beginning to fall apart. Chuck put his arm around her to show he was supporting her and dared anyone to hurt her. So people backed off.

But Chuck's attention to Blair stumped the students. It had been a Gossip Girl rumour that the two had run away before Christmas together, but until now, it had only been a rumour. People knew they'd had a fling the spring before, but it was nothing serious. Chuck had, after all, left Blair to fly to Tuscany alone and then screwed his interior decorator instead of meeting her. And Blair came back from Europe with a new boyfriend in the fall. But now as Chuck held Blair protectively in his arms and kissed her soundly before sending her off to class, the rumour was brought forward as truth.

The students, both male and female, were shocked! Chuck Bass did NOT do girlfriends! He did whores. He did one night stands. He did almost every girl in Constance. He maybe even did flings. But he did not do girlfriends! Ever. People were stunned.

Later that day during lunch, Chuck sauntered over to the Met steps and stood behind his queen. Blair was explaining to her minions that she and Chuck had spent the holidays in Spain and France, they hadn't run away. Although it was her personal business, it was easier to talk about them as a couple, then to talk about the rape. Besides, she had told them she was under orders from the police not to discuss the details. After all, there was going to be a trial. They were easier steered back to talk about the relationship.

When she had finished talking, Chuck helped her up and walked her back to school. He asked her how her day had been so far. He wasn't surprised to find the kids were more interested in them then they were about the rape. He had found the same thing with the boys in his classes.

In fact, the guys were begging Chuck for details about Blair. She must be something special, they had commented, if she had the attention of Chuck. He brushed them off, refusing to comment. He could never discuss Blair to them in that way.

They met once again after school and were grateful for the use of the limo. Reporters had shown up again, hoping for an interview. It was unnerving for both of them. They went straight to Blair's penthouse, plopped on the floor in the front room, and began to work on their homework.

Dorota served them a light supper a while later and announced she was going to meet her friend, Vanya for awhile. She left them after that telling them not to wait up for her.

When they were done eating and had finished their homework, Chuck pushed his books aside and pulled Blair up to her feet. He placed his arms around her and planted a big kiss on her startled mouth.

"What was that for?" she asked with a big smile.

"I'm just really proud of you," he beamed. "You held your head up all day and didn't let any of them get to you. Even though I know you were hurting."

"I'm just so surprised that they are freaking out about us," Blair admitted. "I mean, is it really that hard to believe?"

"Apparently, yes!" Chuck laughed. "But that's because of me and not you. After all, you went out with Nate for years. While I, on the other hand, well I …. ahhhh, let's not go there, ok?" He laughed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and suggested they go have a shower and then turn in early.

"I like the sound of that," he agreed. He took her by the hand and they headed upstairs.

**XOXO**

**A/N: **If you liked it, please review it… Watch for Chapter four of Gunnin either later tonight or tomorrow…..


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**A/N: **Mostly fluff to rekindle the loveeeee. **Warning**….This one has a bit of heat to it

**XOXO**

Over the next couple of weeks Chuck and Blair learned to dodge both their classmates and the media. The two ruled the school. Her, as queen and him, as king, just like it was meant to be. Soon the gossip and questions died down. Almost everyone finally took the hint that there were no juicy stories to share, and they pretty much left them alone.

Jack's trial had been set for early summer after graduation and seemed miles away.

As winter began to subside the two had become inseparable. Chuck had basically moved into the Waldorf penthouse. Blair's mother and Cyrus continued living in Paris where it was closer to her fashion business.

With Chuck holding her in his arms each night, Blair's nightmares about Jack began to subside. The odd time that they did occur, he would wipe the tears from her eyes and cradle her until she fell back to sleep, or make love to her until her fear was put to rest.

That they were in love was obvious to all eyes that saw them. Pure poetry to some, sickeningly sweet, to others. The butterflies never stopped, and neither of them could believe how deeply they had bonded. She was his world, as he was hers.

When spring break approached, Chuck suggested they head back to southern France where they could holiday with her family and take in the beautiful French countryside. There would be no running. This time it would be all about them.

They were welcomed back with open arms by both Harold and Roman. Once again Roman showed them to their adjoining rooms and hugged them each close in welcome. He was as happy to have them back, as they were to be there.

After dinner on their first evening there, they walked by the stream in the vineyard, drinking in the beauty of the spring blossoms around them. Chuck stopped at a small wooden bench by the waters edge and he beckoned Blair to sit. He took both of her hands in his and he brought them up to place a soft kiss on them, before settling them back in her lap.

"Blair, I want to thank you," he began, still holding her hands.

She looked athim questioningly, not sure what he was getting at.

"When my father passed away I felt like I had lost everything." he explained.

Blair squeezed his fingers a little tighter and nodded as she looked in his eyes.

"And when I was at my weakest, you refused to give up on me." He squeezed her hands back a little and smiled. He continued. "And then, when I wanted to run away from it all, you told me you loved me. You refused to let me leave on my own, knowing full well that I would likely self destruct somewhere. You came with me and made sure I was ok."

He let out a huge sigh and then continued. "You never gave up on me, even when I was at my worst. You stood by me through everything and you taught me how to love in return. I never knew what it was like to really be loved before. Ever." He looked at her and nodded. "And I never thought it was possible to love anyone, let alone love someone as much as I love you. You have no idea how much you mean to me."

Blair leaned in and gently caught his lips in a kiss. Chuck parted his lips slowly letting her tongue in to twin with his, groaning in pleasure as they savoured each other.

She pulled away a few moments later and looked at him with hooded eyes. "I love you too, Chuck, more than I ever thought it was possible to love another. I can't conceive of loving anyone more than how much I love you right now," she confessed.

He stroked her face and pulled her in so that his forehead rested against hers. "Me too," he admitted.

They got up from the bench and held each other for a few minutes, just to hold on.

As they walked back to the chateaux, Chuck could feel his heart race, like he could almost be having a heart attack. He'd never felt the butterflies be so erratic before. It almost scared him.

In their room a little while later, he stood with her in front of the moonlit window. As he removed her clothing, he gazed in awe at her perfection in the light. And when she finally stood naked before him, he hitched his breath at her beauty.

He reached out and let his hand trace along her collar bone, coming to rest on her shoulder. He stepped closer and put his mouth at the curve of her neck, gently sucking at the exposed skin, as to taste her. He stood closer yet until his body barely brushed against her curves.

By now his breath was coming in short gasps as he fought to contain himself.

Blair drew her hand lightly up the front of his chest where she slowly undid each button all the way down. She untucked his shirt from his pants and opened it up to expose his chest that was barely grazing her own naked one. She caressed his pecs and leaned in to softy kiss each of his erect little nipples, brushing her breast against him as she did.

He slid his hands down along either side of her waist, around to her back and traced the soft curve of her bum, settling to cup her. He pulled her in closer, slowly grinding his hardness against her. She moaned at the sensation of him. She leaned in to brush his bottom lip with her tongue, and then drew it into her mouth in another delicious kiss. Her hands reached for his waist and she unbuckled him and helped to ease his pants down to the floor. She caressed his bum and hitched her thumbs under the band of his boxers to slide them off as well.

Chuck stepped out of his clothes and stepped forward so he now stood naked with her, skin to skin in the moonlight. She caressed his back and held him as he did her, each heart racing with love for the other.

He took her by the hand to the bed where he lay down, pulling her gently on top of him. For a moment they just lay together, too overwhelmed with love to do more than hold the other. Chuck swallowed a lump in his throat and he fought off the tears he could feel welling up in his eyes. Blair watched his eyes pool as her own filled as well.

She leaned in to kiss him softly, a tear slipping down her cheek and onto him. "Chuck Bass," she whispered. "I love you so much, it consumes me."

He raised his hands into her hair and pulled her in, smashing his own mouth against hers. He moaned aloud when she parted her lips and his tongue entered her mouth and caressed her.

He rolled them over and slid his hips between her thighs, melting his body into her. She raised her hips up to guide him into her and she cried in pleasure when filled her.

Their emotions were so raw that it took little to finish them off. They peaked together, her fluttering walls drawing him in deeper as he spilled inside of her. Hearts were pounding and breaths were panting in unison.

For the two weeks they were there, Chuck and Blair remained in such bliss, often bringing smiles to Roman, and blushes to Harold. On the last day of their vacation, Harold pulled Chuck aside and spoke to him. He wanted to talk about Blair.

"You really love her, don't you son?" Harold asked him as they walked the vineyard, admiring the blooms that carried the promise of this year's bounty.

"Yes, sir," Chuck admitted. "More than anything else in this world."

"That's good. And I know what good care you've been taking of her back home," Harold acknowledged. "I want to thank you for that. It means the world to us back here."

"I love her, Mr. Waldorf. I would do anything to keep her safe," Chuck stated.

"I know you would, son. And she's really going to need you with that trial coming up. Do you think you can handle that?" Harold asked. "Our lawyer back home says Jack will be going away for the better part of his life for what he did to you both. But if you need us, Roman or I will try to come out. I'm not as busy that time of year, so it can possibly be arranged."

"Thank –you," Chuck answered. "I appreciate that."

"And Chuck," Harold added as they begun to head back. "We meant what we said at Christmas. You are a part of this family now. Please don't forget that."

"I won't sir. Thank-you," Chuck said. He knew that Harold meant it and it filled his heart.

As they hugged and said their farewells to Blair's fathers, both Chuck and Blair realised the next time they'd be back would be after the trial. They were both quiet, lost in thought, on their way to the airport and for most of the trip home. Chuck held her hand tightly knowing how tough the next while would definitely be for her and possibly for them both. Graduation first, and then the trial.

**XOXO**

**A/N:** Yes, that was mostly fluff to cement them before the rest of the drama unfolds….If you liked it, please review it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**A/N: **All fluffed out? Well, let me change that for you!

Thank-you for everyone who has taken the time to review. I have to admit, however, I'm feeling a little discouraged again due to the slow/ lack of response from the last chapter... Is it getting boring?**  
**

**XOXO**

As graduation approached, Blair began to spend a little more time with her friend Serena than she had for awhile. They shopped for gowns and jewelry to make the perfect outfit for the ceremony.

Chuck was happy to see Blair reconnecting with Serena. She had been somewhat withdrawn lately and he was worried about her. He had tried to talk to her about the upcoming trial, but she refused, telling him she didn't want to talk about it. He encouraged her to see her psychologist and talk about her concerns, but she also refused.

On this particular day, the girls decided to grab dinner out after they went shopping. After the meal, Serena asked Blair to go to the club at the Palace to meet some of the other girls from their school for drinks.

Although Blair had been back to the Palace a few times with Chuck, she still wasn't very comfortable with the place, so she decided to pass. Serena was more than a little bit pissed off at this.

"You hardly ever spend time with me anymore, B," she complained. "It's not fair. You're supposed to be my best friend."

"The place gives me the creeps, ok, Serena," Blair told her. "I'd just assume not go."

"But that's silly, B," Serena snorted. "You've been in here half a dozen times at least with Chuck before. You can do it. And Iz and Katie and a few others are coming too," she added. "I promise it'll be fun."

Blair finally, but reluctantly, agreed. She supposed she probably did need a night out with the girls. She called Chuck to tell him where she'd be, and asked him to pick her up in a few hours. He told her he would be more than glad to, and that it was nice to see her having fun.

About an hour into their time at the club, Blair decided that actually she was having fun. The music was great and her group of friends were having a good time laughing and dancing on tables.

The girls were having such a good time that they soon became the centre of attention to a rather large group of college football players, much to the delight of Serena and her friends.

Blair smiled as she watched them all flirt together. She ignored the attention that was circulating her way, but had to admit it was good for her self esteem. Since she had committed with Chuck, the boys at her school had automatically backed off on their advances, not that she minded. It would have been dangerous for them not to. But to be honest, sometimes she missed the attention.

As the evening wore on, some of the kids started pairing off and disappeared. Blair watched as Serena openly made out with the team's quarterback. The girl loved public displays of affection!

One exceptionally good looking and burly fellow finally came over to Blair and sat beside her. He had introduced himself earlier as Jim, the team's halfback, as though that might impress her. But Blair couldn't care less. He had asked her to dance several times already, to which Blair had always politely turned him down.

He began to try and strike up a conversation with her. "Your name's Blair, isn't it?" He asked her.

She smiled politely and agreed that it was, then turned her attentions back to her friends, ignoring him.

"Well what's a pretty little thing like yourself doing sitting all alone at this table?" He asked her.

"I'm not alone; I'm here with Serena and some of the other girls," she informed him. "And I'm waiting for my boyfriend to come and pick me up," she added for good measure.

"Well, it looks like you're all alone to me," he added, drawing his chair up a little closer to hers.

Blair decided she'd had enough and she needed to ignore him. She got up and headed to the bathroom, walking past him without a word. The big oaf was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

She used the toilet and primped her makeup and hair, hoping Chuck would show up soon to take her home.

She headed back to the table and realized Jim was still there. She frowned at him. He smiled at her and pulled out her chair, motioning she should sit down. "I ordered you another drink," he announced proudly and he picked up the martini and held it out for her to take.

Blair looked at his hand holding the familiar glass toward her and she blanched, memories of a previous evening involving a similar hand and martini opening the floodgates of her memory. She stood transfixed, the details starting to flow from within the deep recesses of her mind. Up until now she hadn't consciously remembered much about that night. Only in her dreams had pieces floated back to her, but never in any tangible detail.

But now it seemed the entire incident was being played back in her mind all at once. In only a few seconds she saw it all: The martini, the grief over Chuck's earlier indiscretions. The limo ride with Jack pawing at her. Jack dragging her up the stairs into his room. Jack's hands removing her clothes. Jack taking her to the bed and sliding in beside her. Jack's hands and mouth all over her body. Jack's words as he told her she was 'going to love this.' Jack raping her.

Jim was concerned at the sudden paleness of her. He put the martini back on the table and stood, placing his hand on the small of her back.

She gasped at his touch, bringing her out of her stupor. She looked at him in horror and began to back away from him. "Don't touch me!" she snapped.

"Blair I…," he began and then he stepped toward her.

Blair turned around and ran from the dance floor towards the bathrooms. Jim frowned and watched her go. Something had happened and he didn't know what. He gave it a minute and then decided to follow her to see what was wrong.

When Blair got into the hall by the bathroom, she stopped and buried her face in her hands, shaking uncontrollably as the memory repeated over and over again in her head. She back against the wall, feeling she might pass out.

A minute later Jim was at her side, his arms around her, attempting to console her.

And that's when she lost all control!

**XOXO**

Chuck entered the Palace and stopped by a group of school friends to say hello. He didn't see Blair across the room as she began to unravel.

When he finally stood to scope out the room for her, she was gone. Spying Serena hanging off of the arm of some jock, he approached her and asked for Blair.

"She's over at our table over there," Serena said. She pointed to the table where they had all been sitting earlier, and then frowned when she saw that it was empty. "Well she was there just a minute ago," she said. "Maybe she's in the bathroom, Chuck."

Chuck blanched. Something didn't feel right. He started to head back to the hallway where he knew the bathrooms were when he heard her scream. His blood ran cold. "Blair," he yelled, and he began running, his heart beating so fast he thought it would burst.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Jim shouted to her, trying to get her under control.

Blair thrashed in his arms, trying to fight him off and get away from him. She kicked and clawed at him, screaming her head off, totally out of control.

Chuck flew around the corner and saw Jim with Blair in his arms as she struggled to free herself from his clutches.

He jumped Jim from behind, slamming his fist into the big guy's head. "Get off of her, you son of a bitch!" Chuck yelled.

"Back off, buddy," Jim yelled and he released Blair and turned around, slamming his fist into Chuck's ribs, doubling him over.

Suddenly free from Jim's clutches, Blair began running blindly through the hotel's ballroom toward the street. She didn't see either Chuck or the crowd that had gathered near the hallway's entrance to see what was going on. She ran past them all. She didn't see the startled people on the street as she flew past them onto the busy street, and she didn't see the car coming toward her until it was too late.

**XOXO**

**A/N:** Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... If you liked it, please review it**  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**A/N:** someone suggested I overshot this story and it should have finished awhile ago. Sorry about that, I tend to get rolling, but you are probably right. So it ends tonight, (Check out Gunnin if you haven't already and watch for a fun, new one on how may ways Jenny Humphrey should die!)

**XOXO**

Chuck ran like a madman and then stopped short when he heard the screeching brakes of a vehicle and a crash. He continued on outside and saw Blair lying on the road. "Oh my God, Blair!" he yelled, and he flew into the street to where her body lay.

The driver of the destroyed car came to his side and knelt beside Chuck. "Did I hit her?" he asked in alarm. "She ran in front of me and I swerved to miss her! Did I hit her?" he asked again.

"No, I don't think you hit her, but she sure hit you," came the voice of an on-looker who stepped out from the crowd now gathering on the sidewalk. "I saw the whole thing," he added. "You were stopped. She ran into you."

The driver had seen Blair fly into the street. Luckily, he had been able to hit the brakes and swerved enough to not hit her. His car had hit a parked car on the side of the road instead, then had bounced and swung sideways onto the street where it had stopped just before Blair had run into it.

Chuck was in shock. He stared in horror at her lifeless body and he started to bawl. He took her hand in his. "Blair!" he called to her. "Are you alright? Blair!" He looked into the eyes of the gawking on-lookers and yelled, "Can somebody help us, please?"

A woman stepped forward and told him she had some emergency training. She knelt before Blair and put her hand on her chest while she bent low and put her ear towards Blair's mouth to check for breathing.

"Is she alive?" Chuck asked, dreading the answer. It had been one thing to lose his father, but the thought of losing Blair was more than he could handle.

"She's breathing, but she's unconscious," the woman said. She looked into the crowd and pointed to a fellow that was taking pictures with his cell phone. "You!" She snapped. "Stop with the pictures and call for an ambulance!"

By now Serena, Jim and a few other club goers had come onto the scene. When Serena saw it was Blair on the street, she screamed and immediately rushed to her side.

"Don't touch her!" Chuck snapped at a startled Serena. "She might have a spinal injury and you could make it worse." He took off his jacket and placed it over her, and then gently stroked her hair off from her face. His tears started to flow heavier when he noticed a small pool of blood forming on the sidewalk below her head. The sound of an ambulance came down the street and the crowd started to move back.

"Don't die, Blair," he cried. "Please, don't die. I love you too much. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you too."

"Come on, B!" Serena cried and she put her arms around Chuck as he grieved over her body.

The ambulance attendants shooed the on-lookers away and had Serena and Chuck sit back as they appraised Blair. Chuck notice Jim still on the sidewalk in shock, and he shot up and flew at him.

He immediately had the bigger man by the neck against the building. "What did you do to her, you big bastard?" he screamed at him. "Just what the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Jim cried. Although the man with the hands around his neck was half his size, Jim could tell Chuck was dangerous. "Honest! I was just talking to her and then she started to freak out. When I went after her to see if she was alright, she lost it. That's what you saw. She just went wild. I didn't do anything, I swear!"

"He didn't do anything, Chuck," Serena stated as she tried to pry his hands from Jim's neck. "He was at our table most of the night. He wasn't hurting her."

"I just bought her a martini, is all," Jim confessed. "And when she saw it, she started to zone out. And when I stood up to see if she was ok, I put my hand on her back and she started to scream."

"I swear to God if she's damaged in any way, I will kill you," Chuck promised and he released Jim. He turned and went back to the ambulance and watched as they started to load Blair into it. "Take the limo and meet us at the hospital, Serena," he told her as he climbed in after the attendants.

For the entire trip there, Chuck sat holding Blair's purse and silently prayed that she would be alright. The ambulance attendants told him little. Seeing her hooked up to all the tubes and monitors horrified him, but he had to admit he was grateful for the regular beeping sound of the heart monitor, which assured him she was alive.

**XOXO**

It seemed they waited forever in the private waiting area in the ER ward, before the trauma doctor came and talked to them.

"Miss Waldorf is still unconscious from a head injury," he began "And we need to keep monitoring her brain for swelling. She also had a dislocated hip that we have realigned, some cracked ribs and a slight closed fracture in her right leg. They are casting it right now," he added.

"She has a head injury?" Chuck asked in alarm.

The doctor nodded. "At this time it doesn't appear serious except that she's lost consciousness and has some superficial bruising on the skull. She needed a couple of stitches on her scalp, too. The concern is that if her brain is also bruised and it begins to swell, she could have more significant damage."

"How significant?" Chuck asked in horror.

"In extreme cases bruising can cause permanent brain damage or even death," he replied to the horrified faces of Chuck and Serena. "But this doesn't appear to be the case at this time," he quickly added. "We'll do another CT scan on her in a little while and then continue to monitor her over night."

As there were no immediate family members in the city, Chuck told them he was her fiancé so he would be was permitted to stay with her in the ICU overnight. He sat in a chair by her bed when they finally brought her back from her second C T scan. He was relieved to hear that no internal swelling had occurred.

The next morning Dorota arrived to bring some personal incidentals for her. Chuck thanked her for bringing him a change of clothes and a toothbrush as well. The large woman wept when she saw how frail Blair looked in the sterile room, and she hugged Chuck in her grief.

"You should go and sleep now, Mr. Chuck," Dorota told him. "You are tired. I will stay and watch Miss Blair.

"I'm not leaving her Dorota," Chuck sniffed. "I promised her I'd never leave her again."

Dorota held him a little tighter. "She'll be ok, Mr. Chuck. You must have faith. God won't take her away from us," she stated. "He is always watching, He knows we need her here."

"I wish I had your faith," Chuck whispered. "I'll die if I lose her."

"Miss Blair will be alright, Mr. Chuck. Doctor tell me that her head was not so much hurt. She will be alright, you'll see."

"I sure hope you're right," he replied.

There was no change in Blair for the next 24 hours. But because she was stable, they moved Blair to a private room on another floor. Chuck finally took a small break on the second afternoon for awhile, grabbing a bite to eat in the cafeteria and then taking a quick shower in the bathroom in her room. He didn't care if it was against hospital policy.

He was surprised to see both Harold and Eleanor Waldorf in the room when he emerged.

"Charles," Harold greeted him and wrapped him a hug. "Thank-you for staying with Blair."

"I couldn't leave her," he admitted.

"We got here as fast as we could," Eleanor stated through tear-filled eyes. "How did this happen Charles?" she asked.

Chuck explained what he could of the incident to them. He guessed that Blair's freak out in the bar had likely been brought on by recalling something about the rape. She had panicked and then had run into traffic, out of control.

"She could have been killed," Chuck admitted. "The driver fortunately saw her in time and turned his car into a parked car instead of hitting her head on. Blair ran into it once it had stopped."

"Well, they're saying there doesn't appear to be any damage to her brain, thank God!" Eleanor stated. "Her other injuries will heal just fine as well."

"This could have been so much worse," Harold commented. "And thank-you again, Charles. For everything. She's lucky to have you here. But you're probably tired and should go home to rest for awhile. Dorota informed us you have been staying at our house for awhile now, is that correct?"

"I hope that's aright, sir" Chuck asked with a blush. "I didn't want her to be alone after everything that happened."

"That's fine, Charles," Eleanor replied. "You can stay as long as you like. We know she's in good hands with you. By the way, the doctor commented that you are her fiancé," she added with a puzzled look at Chuck.

"Eleanor!" Harold gasped. "Don't embarrass the boy."

Chuck blushed a deep scarlet. "Um, I believe that I may have told them something like that so they would let me stay," he admitted with embarrassment.

"That's alright Charles." Harold laughed, slapping Chuck on the back. "No rush on that! If, and when the day comes that you want to marry our daughter, you know you'll have our blessing. You're already family in our eyes. Isn't that right, mother?" he said looking over at his ex-wife.

"He's right, Charles," she agreed. "From what Harold has told me, I understand you two are very close."

"I love your daughter," he admitted. "And I don't know what would have happened after I lost my father if she hadn't come with me when I ran away. I owe her my life."

"Well I think you two bring out the best in each other," Harold admitted, tears welling up in his eyes. "And I'm grateful that you have each other in your lives." He hugged Chuck again and sniffed and cleared his throat. "Now, Eleanor is right. We want to spend some time with our girl. You really need to head back home and rest. You can come back tonight if you want. Roman is at the penthouse and is probably fighting for kitchen rights with Dorota. We'll call you if there are any changes, ok?"

Chuck nodded his head. "Ok," he answered. "Thank-you." He walked over to Blair and leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. "Your mom and dad want to spend some time with you, ok?" he whispered. "I'll be back in a little while, I promise. I love you."

As Chuck left, Harold turned and looked at his wife, tears now running down his cheeks. "I really like that kid!" he declared.

**XOXO**

When Blair gained consciousness a couple of days later, the doctors did some tests on her and decided she was well enough to go home. She was fortunate to not have any damage to her head. They did, however, insist she reconnect with her psychologist and deal with what she recalled of the rape. Blair agreed.

"Thank God you're home, Blair," Chuck told her as Roman and Dorota helped carry her and her things upstairs. "Now they can turn all of their love and attention to you!" While Blair had been in hospital, both Dorota and Roman had lavished extra care and attention on Chuck. It was like they were in competition for his affection or something, trying to mother him all the time. He found it kind of funny at first, but now it was driving him nuts. He'd never had a mother to care for him growing up, now he two of them suffocating him with it.

"Oh no, Mr. Chuck," Dorota laughed as she began to unpack Blair's hospital bag, "You still our boy!"

"Great," Chuck replied much to the delight of both Roman and Dorota.

When she was settled in her own bed, Chuck curled around her and held her as tightly as he dared, burrowing his face into her curls against her neck. He sighed at the comfort this gave him. It felt like home. He never wanted to let her go again.

But unfortunately, life had to happen. Dorota and Roman hauled him out of their bed early the next morning and made him go to school. (They lovingly filled him with pancakes and bacon first). For the rest of the week Chuck reluctantly attended classes and dutifully brought Blair's schoolwork back with him each night.

Blair, in turn, attended doctor and psychologist appointments daily and finally met with the police and her lawyer later that week.

Because she now recalled the brutal details of her rape, she filed a second police report, which was confirmed and signed by her psychologist stating that she indeed did recall the events that night. Her lawyer was pleased. It appeared they had a solid case against Jack. He told her she was to concentrate on healing and on her upcoming prom and graduation. She was not to worry about the trial.

She tried and found it was actually getting easier. Since her memories had returned, the nightmares had stopped plaguing her sleep. She felt her confidence begin to return and was determined to see things through.

She insisted she wanted Chuck to stay with her at the penthouse, even though the nightmares were gone. Now she just loved him way to much to not have him by her side. She was relieved that he agreed to stay, him not wanting to part from her as well.

The night before their senior prom, the dress arrived from Paris that Chuck had ordered for Blair. She would look like the princess that she had always dreamed she'd be. And he would be her prince.

Now on crutches, Blair stood proudly on the stage with Chuck as they were announced the official Prom Queen and King of their school.

A few days later they attended their graduation together. When the Gossip Girl bomb went out, there was little of it about them shared that wasn't already news to them. They weren't phased in the least by the blast.

Later at their after-grad party, Blair called Chuck into a private back room and told him she wanted to talk to him. "I prefer to talk later," he smarmed as he looked at her with hooded eyes. He ran his hand up the small of her back and drew her in for a long heated kiss, thinking how much he loved her.

"Chuck," she stated, as she pulled away from him for a minute. "I want to talk to you about next year."

"Ughhh," he groaned as she pulled away. "Fine," he told her. "But I'd rather make out with you first." It was the first night they had been away from her family since she had gotten out of the hospital. They hadn't dared get too carried away with four adults a few feet down the hall from them. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to reel her back into his arms.

She giggled. "That can wait for a few more minutes," she cooed. "But I want you to be serious, for a few minutes, ok?"

"Fine," he agreed as he retracted his hands from her shoulders.

"Daddy and I were talking and he agreed that I should go to Columbia next year instead of Yale," she announced.

"But you've always wanted to go to Yale, Blair. Why would he do that?"

"He doesn't want me living that far away from home," she replied. "Not since all of this stuff happened."

"But that doesn't make any sense, Blair. Your mom and Cyrus are leaving for Paris tomorrow and Harold and Roman are leaving after Jack's trial. They won't be here for you."

"Daddy knows that Chuck. But he doesn't want me away from you and Serena. He thinks I'll be happier here with the two of you."

"And what do you think about that?" he asked.

"I happen to agree with him," she replied looking at him very seriously. "I can't even fathom how much I'd miss you if I had to go away to Yale on my own next year. Serena too, of course," she added. "So Daddy made some phone calls and they are willing to take me at Columbia," she announced.

He smiled at her and told her congratulations.

"And Chuck," she continued. "They're willing to take you too, if you're interested. They told daddy they would be honoured to have Bart Bass's son in their Business program."

Chuck was floored. He had told Lily he would likely start at Bass Industries full time in the fall, after graduation. After all, most of his high school marks were barely above passing and he knew he wasn't really eligible for university entrance until he was a mature student. He had slacked off for too many years to have earned the kind of marks needed to qualify for entrance into a top rated school. "No way!" he said in disbelief. "Your dad did that for me? How much did it cost him?" he asked seriously.

Blair laughed, "Nothing, Chuck. They honestly want you in their program."

He didn't know what to say, he was so blown away. So he came over to her and wrapped her back up in his arms in a deep hug. "I don't know what to say," he replied emotionally. He didn't want to cry again, but was afraid he might.

"Say yes, silly," she told him and reached up to give him a sensual kiss.

After a moment he reluctantly pulled his lips away form hers and rested his forehead against hers while he put himself in check. "I rented us a suite upstairs," he confided in her, "that is, if you want it."

She ran her fingers through his waves and kissed him again, sliding her tongue over his bottom lip. "Oh, I want it alright," she moaned into his mouth. Tonight it would be just the two of them.

**XOXO**

Now with the trial only a few days away, Blair appeared a bit jittery, but approached the trial with confidence. Their lawyer had prepared them both well, and together they felt united and strong.

As predicted, Jack was found guilty on all charges. He spit in Chuck's direction as they led him away to await sentencing. He was looking at 25 years to life for his crimes against them. It was finally over.

Later that night, Harold and Roman took the two out for dinner to both celebrate their success in court, and to bid them farewell. The two of them were heading back to France in the morning. In truth, it would only be a couple of weeks until they saw each other again. After Blair's cast came off in a couple of weeks, her and Chuck were flying out to spend the rest of the summer with them at the chateaux.

"I want to thank you again," Chuck said to Harold, "for your help getting me into Columbia. I really do appreciate it, sir."

"No problem, Charles, Harold laughed. "Like I told you, they are thrilled to have you. You need to remember, it looks good for them to be affiliated with the Bass name. They'll profit from it too, you know."

"I suppose you're right about that," Chuck agreed.

"And speaking of Columbia," Harold commented. "Roman and I have a late graduation gift for the two of you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys and a pamphlet which he handed to them both. "We bought you a lovely little penthouse not far from the Columbia campus," he announced. "Oh! And yes, it has a maid's quarters for Dorota too. She will be spending some of her time there helping you both."

Chuck smiled as Blair threw her arms around her father's and then Roman's necks. "Thank-you, daddy. Thank-you, Roman," she replied.

"I'm not sure I can accept this," Chuck admitted to the two men.

"What do you mean, son? Of course you can. It's a gift," Roman replied.

"I mean it's too much," Chuck said. "I don't know if I could officially move in with Blair. Not like this."

Harold and Blair both frowned. "I don't understand Charles," Harold said. "You're already living together at my house. How's this any different?" he asked. "Are you saying you don't want to live with my daughter any more?"

"Chuck….?" Blair questioned as she felt tears building up in her eyes.

Chuck turned and looked at Blair. He took her hand in his. He swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw the tears pooling in her eyes. "Blair," he began. "Living common law is a huge step. I love you. I really do. But I'm not willing to take that step with you like this."

She felt her heart fracture at his words. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed and pulled her hand away.

"No, Blair, let me finish," he stated and grabbed her hand back again.

She tried to resist and looked at the floor knowing tears were escaping down her face.

"Please, hear me out," he pleaded. "I love you too much to simply shack up with you. I'd rather we do it more officially."

She looked up at him in question. Harold and Roman stepped back and clammed up.

"Tell me you'll marry me, Blair. Please," he begged. "If we were engaged it wouldn't be just two college kids shacking up."

"Are you telling me you'll only live with me if I agree to marry you, Chuck?" she asked in disbelief.

Chuck swallowed another lump in his throat and he nodded. "I am," he answered.

Blair stepped toward him and looked deep into his amber eyes. "Then yes," she told him. "I'll marry you. But not until after we have both graduated. Deal?"

He leaned in and kissed her passionately right in front of her two dads. "Deal," he agreed.

**XOXO**

The next night as they lay wrapped in each other's arms Chuck spoke to Blair. "We've done a lot of running away this year," Chuck admitted to her.

"We have," she agreed, thinking about how much running they actually did do. They had run from pain and heartbreak, from their problems and even from each other. She reached her hand up to stroke the curve of his jaw.

"And we aren't going to run from anything again any more, are we?" he asked.

"We aren't," she replied as she leaned in and brushed a light kiss onto his neck.

"Because we're better than that, you and I. Together we can conquer anything," he explained to her. "We proved that that year, didn't we?"

"We did," she admitted, nibbling a little on his ear.

He sighed and rolled her on top of him, being extra gentle so she wouldn't bump her cast. She leaned down and ran her tongue along his collar bone. He shivered in ecstasy at her touch, his eyes wanting to roll back in his head as he thought of her tongue on him.

He sighed and pulled away from her for a minute. "Blair look at me," he giggled. "I'm trying to be serious here."

She stopped her administrations on his body and sighed. She looked up at him.

When he felt he had her attention he continued. "I want to tell you something important, ok."

She nodded to him and held his gaze.

"You saved my life last year and I want to thank you," he began.

She looked at him puzzlingly.

"You did. That night of my father's funeral, you told me you loved me."

Blair nodded. She recalled that night very well.

"I need to tell you that, when you first said those words to me, I wanted to tell you that that was too bad. I wanted to blow you off. And I was going to," he admitted. "But something inside of me… I think it was those dam butterflies…. Something told me it would be a mistake. So, instead of saying, 'that's too bad,' like I was going to, I told you to get in the limo, instead. It saved my life." He sighed. "I'm just really thankful that you told me."

She nodded at him and smiled a little, running her hand along the side of his cheek, watching with joy as the diamond on her finger caressed him too. "Me too," she admitted.

He pulled her into him passionately, eager to share his love with her once more.

Together, forever. They were Blair and Chuck, and Chuck and Blair. She was his, and he was hers. They were together where they belonged. They would be runaways no more.

**XOXO**

Fin

**XOXO**

**A/N: **Because Blair went with Chuck, a lot of shit that happened in Season 2 that then trickled into Season 3 and into Season 4 which just didn't have to happen. There would be no return of a mother figure who would steal from him. There would be no trading of the Empire for Blair There would most certainly be no fucking of that little skank, Jenny Humphrey (again… watch her die in my next one)… There would be no Prague… no shooting…. No Eva and no war declared. If the stupid Basstard (that we all dearly love) had have changed his words from "Well that's too bad" to "Get in." we would all be in a happier place than we are now watching the shit that is now Season 4 unfold before our eyes!

And yes, I got carried away and could have, maybe even should have ended this way earlier… but I didn't. I needed the fluff and the happily ever after to help sooth the pain from watching these two destroy each other. (Something I fear we'll be plagued with for awhile yet.)

Please watch for and even participate in that new fic coming out this week where collaboratively we suggest creative ways that Jenny Humphrey can die(You realise she returns to the show the end of October, right?) Oh, and also, Gunnin (my other new fic) might help you to find fluff behind the hate in Season 4 as it unfolds if you are missing the passion we all know is there somewhere.)

Anyways, **I appreciate a final review if you can**. So, if you liked it, please review it.

**As always, it's been a pleasure. **

**XOXO**


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